A different start
by Yukas
Summary: Jaune had been thrown from his family after being given up on. Now he must learn to survive in a world full of pain. He has closed himself off with no real purpose. Will some familiar people be able to give him a purpose? or will it crumble in front of them? (Terrible summary I know) Rated M for language and descriptive details. Drama and all that jazz too.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for showing interest in my story. First off I would like to say this will be updated depending on its popularity. So if it totally sucks with the first few chapters I'll put it on hold until enough people ask for it to continue. Anyways lets get on with the story.**

 **Prologue:**

I fell to the dirt for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. I could feel the aches of my bones and bruises screaming at me to stop, to give up. A large hand grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and lifted me from the ground. I stared into the mans blue eyes. Blond hair sticking to his forehead from the current downpour of rain.

My father held a angry expression as he dragged me back to the house. "You really are a little kid, by now I had already killed my first beowolf!" Once again I felt ashamed. I had always wanted to be a hunter, a hero who saved everyone for being brave and strong. So far neither of those things have show. My father and I practiced for days, trying to unlock my potential. But alas, it never came. Instead I was knocked down to the dirt every. single. time by my father. I looked up to his face again. All I could see through the rain was a man who was angry.

A man who was disappointed to have a worthless son. As we approached the house I could see the lights glowing through the windows along with the silhouettes of my family. We crashed through the door as I toppled to the floor. My mother ran to my side and helped me up. Each of my bones screaming in agony as I stood. Blood trickled from my elbows and knees after landing hard on the rock outside. My seven sisters watched as my father stared at me in rage.

"He is ten years old, he still hasn't shown any signs of skill whatsoever!" My mother turned to him with tears in her eyes and a pained expression on her face. "He is just a child John! He doesn't even have his aura unlocked! How do you expect him to match you in a fight!" John walked over to the wall and pulled of Crocea Mors off the wall and held it in front of my face. "This was used by your grandfather, he said if you can pick it up, then your are an Arc!" He dropped the sheathe/sword onto the ground and waited for me to pick it up. My fingers slowly gripped the sword.

I used all the strength I could muster and tried to lift it. But to no avail I couldn't, The blade clattered to the ground. My father huffed and picked it up then placed it back on the wall. "You are no son of mine, YOU ARE NOT AN ARC!" I bowed my head in shame. Before my mother or sisters could reply I ran for the front door and slammed it open. As I ran from the house I could hear my mother yelling my name along with my sisters. I didn't care anymore, My own father dis honed me.

I kept running until I couldn't run anymore. Eventually I found myself in the forest next to a small outcropping of rock and a cave. My legs and lungs felt like they were on fire as I slowly made my way into the cave. Inside there was a small mattress along with pots and pans laying about. Rags and clothes hung atop a rope that looked damp slightly. A large knife sat in the corner. The blade was black and red with markings down the handle. I brought my hand to touch it, I could have sworn it was calling to me. Before my hand could reach it rocks tumbled from the opening.

I spun and saw a man in black standing by the entrance. His face was covered by a white mask with red markings. The man walked over to me and set down his sword then knelled down. "So, what brings you here little guy?" I blinked a few times looking into the eye slits for his eyes. From what I could tell they were red, matching his clothing. "M-my dad told me to leave..." The man tilted his head as he looked at me. "You look like you have been through hell, you said your father right?"

I nodded in response. My blonde hair stuck to my forehead from the rain and sweat. "Whats your name little guy?" The mans voice sounded caring, like how a father should speak to his children. "J-jaune arc.. sir.." The man held his hand out for me to shake. I reluctantly did. His grip felt firm but not enough to hurt me. "Well Jaune, my name is scar. I believe we are going to have a good friendship."

 **four years later**

I swung my sword at scar trying to hit hi stomach. As expected he blocked. I spun dragging my blade against his, once I finished my fully spin i swung at his leg making him jump back. I pressed my attack by sending a diagonal swing at him. He blocked and pressed against me. I pressed back holding my ground. Scar laughed slightly and shook his head as our blades pushed against each other. "Your getting, good kid. Keep it up and you might beat me." I smiled slightly showing my gritted teeth. "Yeah, maybe." I pushed off and rolled to the side sending another slash to his legs making him up up into the air.

I spun my blade in hand to a reversed grip and swung at him. Even I could tell he was impressed through his mask. My sword collided with his arm and left a long cut down the side. Scar slide back and looked at me then to his new cut. I got into a defensive stance waiting for his next attack. Purple aura started to glow from his sword along with his cut. I could see the cut slowly heal then stop glowing. Scar looked up to me and brought his sword around to attack. I waited for a second confused. 'How is he gonna hit me?' As I finished my thought Scar jumped forward at lightning speeds.

Within a second he was in front of me. I had barely enough time to react to his purple blade that was now swinging from my throat. I was able to block the attack but I could feel the strain on my own sword. With one swift motion the purple blade sliced through mine, cutting it in half. I tried to jump back but was cut by his sword across my cheek. A foot landed in my stomach sending me flying back into a tree making leaves fall to the ground. I slumped down and let out a groan.

Scar's blade returned to its normal state as he sheathed it. I looked down to my now broken sword. The top half of the sword was cut clean off, sending large cracks down the rest of the blade. I rested my head against the tree and sighed. Scar walked up to me and placed his hands on his hips. "Done already kid?" He laughed as I rubbed my cheek. "Well, you kinda sliced my sword in two so, yeah kinda." He reached down and pulled me up to my feet. "Just because you lost your weapon, doesn't mean you should stop fighting. How about this, one day I'll teach you hand to hand combat. Sound good?" I nodded in response. "It does sound helpful."

Scar nodded and held up a finger. "Wait here. I think you are ready." Before I could ask what I was ready for he walked off towards our little tree house. I wiped the blood from my cheek and looked at it. That raised a question. 'Why hasn't he unlocked my aura? Unless that's what he is doing now.' The door to our tree house opened as Scar walked out. In his hand was the same red dagger from four years ago. He held it up in both hands. "Thought I got rid of it huh?" I looked up at him and nodded.

He smiled and brought it into his right hand. "I had to hide it after we started to train. Didn't want to spoil the surprise ya know." He pressed a button on the handle causing the top half of the blade to extend into a long sword. It held the same red designs as the rest of the sword. He swung it around a few times then looked to me. "This sword is special, it was made along time ago by an old black smith. Said blacksmith, infused the sword with aura so it would take the appearance of its wielder."

Scar clicked the button again making the sword turn back into a dagger. He looked to me. "This blade helped me through some tough times. Now, I bestow it apon you." He handed me the dagger. I slowly wrapped my fingers around the handle and took it into my hands. I rotated it in my hands getting a feel for it. The dagger/sword felt light even though its length when its fully extended. I extended the rest of the sword with a loud click. I did a few practice swings then turned to Scar. His arms were crossed over his chest, but I could tell he was smiling. "It fits you Jaune, I just hope it will bring you the strength it brought me."

He pulled out a small sheathe the looked like it would fit my new dagger. I grabbed it and set it on the left of my hip. Next I slowly slid the dagger into its new home. Once it was fully sheathed I looked up to Scar. He stared at me for a second then patted my shoulder. "Tomorrow, lets work on aura. What do ya say?" I nodded enthusiastically causing him to laugh. "Come on we got to go into town really quick." I nodded and grabbed my jacket.

As we entered town Scar pulled his hood over his face. He always had to do this so people wouldn't stare or call anyone. We made our way up the main street. The town was pretty small, shops lined the streets each selling varying goods. This town was a few miles from vale just outside its city border. So, that meant that the town had to fend off Grimm and thugs by themselves. The "protectors" were just a bunch of mercenaries for hire.

We turned down a alley next to some dust shops. The alley like most alleys was trashed, bunch of stuff that would be in an alley. As we walked I could see that people were living there. Mattresses and clothes scattered about. A few pots and cans of food littering a corner. The smell was unbelievable, it was like the food had been rotting for weeks. Alcohol also played a part into the stench.

I nearly bumped into Scar when he suddenly stopped in front of a door. He did a series of knocks on said door, the sounds echoed through the alley. A few locks clicked as the door swung open to reveal a large man in a white suit. He had orange hair and a cane along with a hat that looked ridiculous. "Ah! Glad to see you Scar!" The man looked to me and frowned. "Who's the blonde?" I furrowed my brow and stepped forward. Scar's hand stopped me then dropped a bag of Lien onto my hand. He turned his head to me and whispered. "Go get what we talked about, meet me here in thirty, alright?" I nodded and glanced at the ginger one more time. He waved and gave a smile back. I flipped him off and walked back down the alley.

The door to the dust shop rang as I entered. The owner walked out from the back and smiled. "Well hello! Welcome to the dustiest place in town!" She giggled a little at the end. I nodded and thanked her. She looked pretty young, in her twenties at least. A white vest covered her chest with matching black pants. Purple hair covered her left eye which was also purple. "If you need anything, just ask." I nodded and walked over to the side and checked the dust containers. After I spotted the crystal I was looking for I walked to the front and pressed the little bell on the desk.

The owner came around the corner and smiled. "Found what you need?" I nodded and walked back over to the crystal. The lady followed and smiled. "Ooh, we just a new batch of these in this week. Very pricey ya know." She began to unlock the case as a man in white and black walked in. He had a white mask over his eyes. Dog ears poked out of his hair that were a matching color. The man walked over to one of the dust cabinets and started to rub his finger over the glass. By now the owner had pulled the crystal out and walked back over to the desk not seeing the man.

As she packed the crystal into a black box the man pulled out a gun and smashed the glass box. The owner looked up and frowned. "Hey! Stop doing that!" The man turned to her and pointed his gun. "Or what? I'm the one with the gun." Just before he could fire I pulled my dagger from its sheathe and sliced the man's hand off then tripped him. After he collided with the floor I stomped my foot onto his face knocking him out. "Are you alright?" Before she could respond an explosions sounded from out side. My eyes went wide after seeing more guys like the one below me run out of the buildings.

I extended the full blade and ran out of the shop right into the mob of people. Now that I was outside I could see bullheads hovering above the town. More men were pooling out of them. I turned around to see the owner run out with two daggers. She nodded to me and ran off. Another explosion erupted from the other side of town causing people to run away.

Scar jumped of the top of a building and landed down the street. He sliced through a few white fang members and ran up to me. His hood was off showing his mask that now had a large slice through the right side. He slid to a stop in front of me. "Are you okay kid? We need to go now." He grabbed my arm and started pulling me away from the battle. I saw a few fang start to chase after us with large smiled on their faces. I turned to Scar with a worried expression. "What is going on? Why are they here of all places?" Scar didn't answer, instead turned us down an alley and into a nearby door.

The door slammed behind us as we entered the abandoned store. I turned to Scar who was propping himself of against the wall. "What's going on out there? Why are the fang here all of a sudden?" Scar stood up and pulled his sword from its sheathe then walked over to me. "They are after me, I took something from them a long time ago. You need to run and get out of the city, I'll buy you time." He turned to walk away but stopped after I grabbed his arm. He slowly turned to me, I could see his red eye through the slit of his mask. "Let me help, we can get out together!" He shook my arm off and looked down. "Jaune, you don't even have your aura unlocked. Even if you did it wouldn't be enough."

With that he walked out of the shop and into the street. He looked back to me one last time before running off down the street. The door behind me busted open revealing three white fang grunts. Each had a sword and a huge smile. "Where did he go boy? Tell us and we might let you go.." The first one walked up to me and reached over to grab my shoulder. With lightning speed I shoved my dagger into his stomach. His face went wide with horror. I extended the rest of the blade making it slice through the rest of his body and poke out his back.

Next I grabbed his sword and threw it right into the heart of another grunt. The last man charged forward and extended his sword arm. I pulled my sword from the first grunt's body and spun past his attack. before he could react I shoved my blade through his armpit right into his chest. The man let out a grunt then slowly slid off my blade. He landed with a loud thump on the wood floor. I stared at the blood pooling around the three men with a blank expression. I knew what they had done to innocent people, so I showed no remorse. A loud bang sounded through the shop followed by a blinding white light. The floor shook along with the walls. Then, everything went black.

I awoke sometime later, rain had started to pour over the ruined house that was collapsed on top of me. I pushed a large wood beam away from me that had collapsed. With a grunt I stood and looked around. Most of the buildings around me had collapsed as well. Singe marks covered the wood as well as the floor. I reached down and pulled my dagger from the wood work and headed towards the town square where the explosion erupted from.

As I approached I could see that there were white fang bodies mixed with civilian ones. The girl from earlier was sprawled out on the ground with a sword through her stomach. I crouched down and closed her eyes, when I did I saw a smile on her face. For a moment I stared, not understanding why she was smiling. 'Was she, happy to die?' A cough echoed through the empty streets. I stood up and ran to the square. My eyes went wide with horror at the sight.

Scar was laying on the ground, a large gash went from his waist to the right shoulder. His mask had a large piece missing from the right side, it reached from his chin to halfway up his cheek. Blood had pooled around him and dripped from the steps. I crouched next to him and cradled his head in my arms. His eyes slowly opened and focused on me. "H-hey kid...I thought I told you, to run." He coughed causing blood to drip from his exposed lip. I shook my head as tears rolled down my face. "Don't cry Jaune, death is a natural thing in life." My tears mixed with the rain as they landed on his mask. "Aren't you afraid of dying!?" I yelled out. I could feel myself crumbling from the though of losing another family.

"No, because I was able to save you." My eyes shot open and locked with his. I could see the corner of his lips curl into a smile. "I sacrificed myself, to save you because I wanted to give you something I never had. A family to count on." He coughed again and cringed." After hearing that your family had abandoned you, I couldn't just leave you to die alone. I wanted to make you strong and able to protect yourself, that's why I never unlocked your aura, because you needed to know how to live without it. See how far you've come without it. That's what I wanted." His hand came up to my cheek and started to glow purple.

I could feel his aura spread throughout me. It felt warm and welcoming, almost as if he was touching my soul. Soon after my own white aura started to glow bright, engulfing both of us. After it died down Scar brought his hand back down and pulled off his mask revealing his face. He had a long scar crossing his features that went from the left of his chin to the right of forehead. Small scars covered the rest of his face. Blood covered his chin and lips. "I never told you my name kid." He coughed causing blood to dribble down his chin. I shook my head. "No tell me later when we get out of here."

He laughed and shook his head slowly. "I'm not getting out of here Jaune, you have to go and survive." Scar pulled dog tags from his neck and handed them to me. Once I took them into my hands he smiled and closed his eyes. His head titled to the side as his hands went limp. I shook my head and yelled out to no one. My aura flared as white knight like armor started to cover every inch of my body. I let breathed in a huge breath then looked down. I looked at my arms that were covered in the armor. I closed my eyes and let my armor slowly fade away. I opened up my hand and looked down at the dog tags in my hand. I read them slowly. "Isaac." I read out loud to no one.

I grabbed his mask and placed it on my face then picked up his body and carried it through the town. My knight armor covered my body again as I walked. Small white flames flickered from my armor, lifting up into the air then disappearing. I looked down to Isaac's body. The white flames crawled over the right side of his body, making the blood and cuts disappear. I let out a sigh and continued walking. On the way out I found his now broken sword and picked it up.

I poured the last of the dirt onto Isaac's grave. I stuck the shovel into the ground next to the gave and grabbed his swords sheathe. I slowly pulled his sword from its home and looked at it. The blade was cracked and split in half. I walked over to the front of the grave and stabbed it into the soft mud. Next I placed his dog tags onto the hilt. I let out a sigh and pulled my hood over my head and walked off, mud sloshing under my combat boots.

 **Chapter end**

 **And that's a wrap. Sorry if it kinda seemed all over the place, I just wanted to get the back story out of the way. Now we get into the real story next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay I lied, more backstory. But its worth it!**

 **provolone part 2**

 **two years later**

I slid back and slammed into a tree. The whole tree rattled as I slid down its bass. I looked down and saw my leg had a huge gash in it, blood seeping out of it and through my cargo pants. The Ursa that his me roared out, echoing through the forest. I glanced to my sides to see dozens more Beowolves and Ursa slowly making their way towards me. Each step the beast took shook the ground. I looked around for my sword only to see that it was behind the Ursa. I let out a groan at my luck. I reached down to my pistol and pulled it from its holster. I aimed at its head and pulled the trigger. Once again, my luck seemed to have run out because the pistol clicked each time I pulled the trigger.

I let my gun fall to the ground as I closed my eyes. I tried to call forth my aura but it didn't budge. Nothing I did worked. I knew there was more there, something that could help but nothing came. A image of Isaac appeared in my head. He was standing tall with his sword in hand, staring off into the distance. His head slowly turned to me revealing his mask. He took a step towards me and planted his sword in the ground. His arms and legs soon caught on fire, the flames weren't red though, they were white. Blinding almost, it felt like it was a beacon shining apon me.

The fire burst into an inferno then disappeared. Next I saw my father standing on a rocky out crop. In his hands was Crocea Mors. I could see my reflection on the shield as if it was mocking me. His head slowly turned to reveal his face. A large frown grew as he stared at me. His brows furrowed as he raised his sword to me. "Down in the dirt again!? You truly aren't worth the name Arc!" I grit my teeth and lunged forward at him with mist fist ready.

Just before I reached him my eyes shot open to reveal the Ursa bring its large paw back to swing at me. As it plunged down at me I reached forward with my right arm and what followed surprised me. A large, white bone like hand appeared out of thin air and grabbed the Ursa and lifted it into the air. The arm caught fire with white flames. Knight armor formed around the bone and completely encased it. I could feel my aura surging through my body now. I looked down to see that my cut was gone and completely healed. I stood and the arm followed then formed half a rib cage around my right side.

I smiled feeling the warmth of my aura and squeezed my hand into a fist. The knight's arm did the same and crushed the beast, sending black blood to spew from its corpse. The blood covered the knights arm and my face, the rest covered the surrounding trees and ground. I laughed maniacally as I felt more power surge through me. Soon after the top half of a knight soon formed around me. The right arm caught fire with the white flames again. I looked over to my right at the Grimm who were slowly backing away. Though the armor on the knight looked strong and unbreakable, I could still see through it like it was glass. With the swipe of my arm the knight followed suit. even though the arm itself missed by a mile, the flames shot forward and engulfed everything it touched.

The beowolves howled as they tried to run but were caught by the flames. Trees and bushed caught fire as well as a forest fire started. I looked to my left to see two arms protruding from the side. One arm held a sheathe while the other held a bow. I imagined the knight pulling the sword from its sheathe, and it did. The large arm reached across and pulled a long white blade engulfed in flames from the sheathe. I smiled devilishly and watched as the knight reared its sword arm back and slammed the blade into the ground, sending a wave of flames out in all directions. Anything touched by the flames was eviscerated instantly. If any Grimm were around, they were burning alive right now and I couldn't feel happier. I reached down and grabbed my pistol then shoved it back into its holster. As I looked around I couldn't help but laugh.\

The laugh echoed throughout the forest. It sounded maniacal, but I couldn't care less. I walked over to my sword as the knight followed. I reached down and pulled the blade from the mud. The usual black and red soon turned to a white and gold. Gold veins spread across the blade, connecting and splitting off at certain points. A name formed on the side in gold lettering. "Ember" I spoke aloud, the name echoed through my head causing me to smile. I could see my reflection on the now white blade. My eyes were now gold and slit like a cats, but a hint of white shone through. As I sheathed Ember the knight slowly faded. The armor disappeared revealing a skeleton in its place. The skull's eyes were glowing gold and the teeth looked to form a smile. I looked down causing the rest of it to fade.

I pulled Isaac's mask from my pocket and held it in the moon light. It was still missing the piece from two years ago, it also adorned a new hole under the right eye. Cracks formed around the edges from constant wear and tear. The usual white and red paint had now faded into duller versions. Luckily I had been able to keep it together through the years, even if I had no idea what to do with it. I had no where to stay since I just kept moving with no purpose. Traveling constantly had its perks though, I get into trouble I just move on. I had been doing it for two years after all. I shook my head and walked towards the nearest town.

As I approached I placed Isaac's mask upon my face then pulled my hood over. Only the chin part of the mask showed luckily, don't want to drag too much attention to myself. I passed under the large archway of the town and titled my head down and placed my hands in my pockets. People gave me a few odd stares but they turned away after a second. I guess its not unusual for odd people to enter town at night. This place was far from Vale, so a lot of shady people hung out on the outskirts.

I pushed open the door of the towns bar and walked in. The door closed with a loud ding causing a few people to look up from their drinks. Most minded their own business luckily. I walked over to the bar and sat down at one of the stools. I looked down at my hands and stared for a second, first I thanked oum my favorite finger less gloves weren't damaged. I say favorite, but they are my only pair. I flicked my fingers causing small white flames to ignite then disappear. After seeing that, I thought back to what happened in the forest. I remembered something about a persons semblance activating after a dramatic experience, but hadn't that already happened? There was that one time back when Isaac...Died but after that it never appeared again.

I thought back to the feeling I got when the arm appeared after seeing him again. It felt as if a surge of power awakened. I felt so strong, invincible even. Then the flames, they felt so welcoming and safe. Usually its the opposite of that when you see flames. The bar keep walked up and leaned against the table. I looked up to see his face. He had a neutral expression hidden under a large brown mustache. He had matching slick brown hair that was tied into a bun in the back. It didn't take a professional to see that this guy could hold his own in a fight. "What ya need?"

"Water please." The man nodded and walked off leaving me alone once again. I flicked my fingers again causing more flames to float off my fingers. I leaned back and let out a sigh while simultaneously rubbing my neck since I could feel a knot coming on. The bar keep slid a glass down the table which I caught with no problem. I stared into the icy water seeing the reflection of my mask. I shook the glass slightly causing the image to disappear. The TV crackled to life revealing a reporter in a large jacket and gloves standing in the forest. "Reporting from the outer forest this is Vale news." I shook the water again as I watched. "A large fire erupted in the forest near the town of Voy, this fire was not natural though. Instead of normal red flames, they were white and spread at a much slower pace. Professionals believe that it was caused by dust."

I looked around to see the other bar patrons staring at the other TV's. "Now we will be asking John Arc, leader of this hunter division his opinion." My eyes went wide as I clutched the glass in my hand tighter, making my fingers go white. A scowl came across my face as my father's face appeared. His usual frown was present. "Mr. Arc, what do you think caused this large scar in the earth?" The reporter tilted the microphone towards him and waited. John turned to the giant slash in the earth then back to her.

"I believe that some worthless thugs were screwing around with things they shouldn't have then caused this." He gestured to the now burned forest. The reporter tilted her head. "What makes you call them thugs sir?" John laughed and turned towards the camera. "I call them thugs because they ran from a problem and didn't help. They were afraid of the consequences and decided to leave. As for worthless it reminds me of my son who ran just like they did, powerless and scared. Truly people who can't survive." The glass shattered in my hand as knight armor formed around it. I grit my teeth and let out a sigh. The armor faded away as I put some Lien on the table and walked out.

I slammed the door open nearly shattering the glass and walked into the nearest alley. When I entered I kicked a trash can and sent it across the alley down to the other end. I clenched my fists as my right arm caught fire. Soon after the knight armor formed and I slammed my fist into the brick wall with a roar. Bricks splintered and shattered and flew from the wall. I placed my foot on the wall and pulled my hand free from the new hole in the brick work. I let out a sigh and placed my hands at my sides. I bowed my head and closed my eyes. 'Worthless, I'll show you old man.' I thought.

"Well that was quite impressive." I turned my head to the sound of a feminine voice. The only thing I could see through the dark was the woman's amber eyes looking at me. A clacking sound echoed through the alley as she approached. The first things I could see were a pair of heels and an anklet on pale creamy skin that seemed to glow in the moon light. Next came her red dress that was almost too short to cover anything. Her arms were crossed in front of her. Red nail polish covered each of her perfect nails. Her amble breasts were visible in the night light, they were like a pair of mount- no stop it Jaune.

Her hair covered her left eye slightly and cascaded down her back. Though she was drop dead gorgeous, I could tell she was dangerous. A smile appeared across her features. "How about we get introductions out of the way, I'm Cinder Fall." She bowed her head slightly and fluttered her lashes. "Who might you be?" I looked to the sides of her and could see two people behind, hidden in the dark. I crossed my arms and frowned. "Why do you want to know?" Cinder placed her arms behind her back and tilted her head. "Well I would like to know the name of someone who can start a forest fire with their semblance." I squinted slightly. 'Okay, she definitely wants something.' I thought. "What do you want?"

Cinder smiled lustfully and stepped forward. "As I said, I just want your name. Because I know your not the original owner of that mask." My eyes went wide as I gripped my biceps. She smiled at my response. "How about you take off your hood?" I dropped my arms and flicked my eyes behind her. "You gonna turn me in Ms. Fall?" She giggled and placed and hand to her lips. "Oh god no, I'm sure I've done things much worse than start a forest fire." I let out a sigh and pulled my hood down revealing my golden hair. My side burns dropped below my chin as my bangs peeked over the top of my forehead. She smiled again and walked up to me. "See, Isaac didn't have blonde hair." I kept my eyes focused on her as she inspected my mask.

"You still haven't told me your name. That's quite rude you know." She reached up and ran a finger down my jawline. I blinked and nodded behind her. "Have your friends come out first, then we'll talk." She smiled and nodded. Soon after her goons walked out. One was a guy and wore grey with matching hair. The other was a girl and seemed to like the color green. Cinder turned to me and tilted her head. "Now, may I have your name?" I inspected the two goons for a second then dropped my eyes back town to Cinder. "Jaune."

She smiled and ran her hand down my right arm. "No last name? I can understand wanting to keep your last name hidden." She gripped my bicep and smiled. "Now Jaune, care to explain what happened in the forest?" I tensed slightly when I felt heat radiate through my arm. Her eyes glowed for a second then died down. I saw the two goons smile then fold their arms. "I used my semblance to protect myself. Simple." Before she could answer one of the goons scrolls rang causing Cinder to look away. The boy nodded then turned from the alley. The mint girl followed suit. Cinder turned back to me and leaned forward and up to my ear. Her hair brushing against mine. "We will meet again one day Jaune, I would like to learn more when that day comes." As she turned to leave she traced her finger along my jaw line again before turning away.

As she walked down the alley she swayed her hips giving me a view of her perfect butt. Before she disappeared into the dark she turned and looked at me one last time. A smile spread across her face before disappearing. I brought my right hand up and snapped my fingers causing a white flame to erupt in my palm. I stared at it for a moment, letting its warmth spread across my hand. It felt similar to when Cinder touched me, but when she did it felt foreign. I shook away the thought and closed my hand, extinguishing the flame. I turned and walked out the alley, unaware of the amber eyes watching from the other side.

 **Now the real story! Yay!**

 **Chapter 1: Vale**

I stared out the window of the bullhead towards the large city of Vale. Large buildings rose from the earth and reached for the stars. Off in the distance the emerald tower shown over the town. The large tower sat atop the large cliff, shining against the bright luminescent sun. Other bullheads flew past heading towards the large tower, each full of tourist or returning hunters. My hand found my way to ember and rested on the hilt. It had been years since I was last in Vale, around the time I met Isaac. I thought back on my first impression of the large city. A small smile crept across my face. It quickly disappeared as the bullhead hit some turbulence, rocking me around the cabin of the ship.

I placed my hand on the hull and focused my aura into my stomach to hopefully hold off the vomit. My eyes clenched shut as the bile rose slightly from my stomach. 'Out of everything in this world, it had to be motion sickness.' I let out a long sigh as the feeling slowly went away. The bullhead hitched and started to descend to the ground. The loud speaker crackled to life. "Attention passengers, we will be landing shortly. Thank you for the long wait." The pilot sounded young, maybe just out of flight school. Ugh, I'd hate to have that job, especially with my sickness.

As the ship landed I could hear the other passengers pick up their bags and prepare to leave. As I turned to leave a man with white hair dressed in a green suit bumped into me, dropping his briefcase in the process. I reached down and picked up the rather heavy bag. As I returned it to the man's hand I expected him to start yelling about how "I'm such a klutz" or something like that. Instead I received a warm smile from the man. Now that I saw his face he looked young, given the white hair. A weird looking set of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. A cup of coffee sat in his right hand, steam rising from the beverage. "My apologize sir, I didn't mean to bump into you." I bowed my head slightly when I finished. 'Got to make a good impression right?'

The man shook his head and smiled. "No no it was my fault young man." He looked down to Ember then back to me. "Are you a huntsman?" I shook my head as we walked out of the bullhead. "No, I never really had a reason to." He stopped and tilted his head to the right. "Then what is your purpose of having such a weapon?" I looked down at the ground for a moment then back to him. "I don't really know, I carry this because it is a gift from my old teacher. As for not being a huntsman, I've never really thought about it. Living outside the kingdoms doesn't give you much incentive."

The man put on what seemed to be a thinking face then turned towards the emerald tower. "Perhaps it would be wise to find a purpose, living without one is hardly living at all correct?" Before I could answer the man walked off. I watched as he turned a corner and disappeared into the city. The bullhead behind me lifted off the ground sending a large gust of wind through my golden locks blowing them around. I rubbed a hand through my hair and let out a sigh, glad I got rid of the long side burns and bangs. I did leave them long enough to cover my eyes if needed though. That comes in handy during difficult situations.

With a turn of my heel I headed off into the city, the man's question still plaguing my mind. As I walked I could over hear conversations about random topics. It had been such a long time since I had been in a populated city. It was nice to a degree, but it was also annoying at times. If you wanted to read a good book then you would need to find some corner where no one could bother you or go to a library, but even they weren't safe.

I walked for a good hour before coming up on a bustling night club. The stench of alcohol and other substances radiated from the doors as if they were drenched in it themselves, actually they probably were. Said doors swung open as a couple walked out, or stumbled out would be a better term. The woman had a white dress that was barely hanging onto her frame, her eyes were half open as the hung from the man's shoulder. Her companion didn't look much better. His suit was messed up majorly, the tie was barely attached, hanging down below his belt. Both let out a loud drunken laugh that sounded more like a scream.

The man stumbled causing the woman to laugh maniacally at him. He smiled and jumped at her, the two joined into a overly passionate kiss. I shook my head and walked through the doors, knowing the inside wouldn't get better.

I made my way down the large stairs to the nightclub, bright lights shined around accompanied by loud music that sounded more like someone was scratching a record, yet people were still dancing. I glanced to my left to see twins walking towards me. One wore red and had her arm linked around her twins. Said twin wore white and had blades on her heels. I blinked a few times in disbelief. The pair smiled as they passed then disappeared around a corner. With a sigh I walked the rest of the way to the bar where a large man stood. As I approached he looked me up and down then gave a dissatisfied look. "Aren't you a little too young to be in here kid?" I leaned against the bar and stared him in the eyes. "Would you care if I said yes?" The man smiled slightly and rubbed the table with a rag.

"What ya need kid. I can tell you aren't here for a drink." I nodded and pulled out a black card then placed it on the table. "I was told I could find Well paying jobs here." He nodded and gestured for me to follow him. I grabbed the card as I did. We passed through a curtain into a small room with a table. He sat down and leaned back in the chair. "I'm Junior by the way, this is my club." I took a seat and looked around the room. "It is better than most." I smiled slightly as he kept a straight face. His hand went under the table and pulled out a scroll. He slid it over to me. "Tonight at the harbor, this man will be stealing dust. He needs help getting it out of the city. He will pay well if you don't back talk, or steal his stuff." A picture of Roman Torchwick appeared on the scroll as well as a map of the docks.

I took the scroll into my hand and looked over the map. My eyes flicked to Junior who was lighting a cigar. "So, all I need to do is help move dust?" He nodded and blew a puff of smoke out. "Yep, if it goes hay wire just bolt. You'll get paid depending on the haul." I let out a sigh and placed the scroll down onto the table. "Alright, do I need to meet with him first?" Junior reached over a tapped a button on the table. A little after the twins appeared through the curtain, arms still locked. Junior turned to them and smiled. "Girls, please inform Mr. Torchwick that he will have a new companion during his heist tonight." The twins nodded simultaneously and turned to me then winked and walked out.

I turned to Junior and gave him a 'what was that?' look. he just shrugged and stood up. "The heist is in a hour, so I would head out." He stopped just before walking out and turned to me. "What did you say your name was?" I stood and pulled my hood over my head. I turned to him and frowned. "I didn't." Junior smiled and placed the cigar back into his mouth. "Good." And with that he walked out. His scroll pinged with a message. I reached down and read it. "Kid better be good, don't plan on getting caught tonight. T-" I placed the scroll down and headed for the door.

 **Chapter end**

Okay so I was not expecting this story to blow up from just the first chapter. Not complaining BTW, just surprised. Thank you for all who followed and gave a favorite. Really appreciated.

Anyways how will Jaune hold up with Roman? And what did Ozpin mean by "finding a purpose?" Find out next time on A Different Start! (Dragon ball z yo)

Yukas, out


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter everyone. Something important at the bottom so please read!**

 **Chapter 2: Complications**

I walked past a few white fang who were carrying dust powered rifles. One of them snickered and said something under his breath then laughed. I rolled my eyes under my hood and kept walking. Yes, I hated the white fang, but they currently weren't trying to kill me so I had to do the same. Getting on their bad side so soon wasn't a good idea. Nor was getting caught stealing this much dust.

A large blue box slid on the crane over my head. The SDC emblem planted on the side. The lone box was soon placed with the others. They were stacked about four high and covered most of the dock. To my right I saw a few fang screwing with the dust crystals. One of them dropped and crystal causing it to hum in response. The man slowly bent over and placed it back into the box. All I could do was shake my head at how stupid he was.

"So, you're my new partner huh?" I turned to my left to see none other than Roman himself. Confident as ever, at least he wasn't a total wack job. "It seems that I am." He smiled in response and tapped his cane then looked me up and down. His eyes focused on my sword then my hood. "Nice blade, you know how to use it?" He brought his cane up and lifted the hood off my head revealing my face. "If you have doubts about my skill, then why accept my help?" He brought a hand to his chin then shrugged. "Eh, got a feeling I guess. But if you can hold your own then that's good enough for me."

He motioned with his cane for me to follow him as he walked towards the boxes. "So if you were wondering, tonight you will only be guarding the dust and more importantly me. If someone were to attack I need to trust you can keep them off my back so I don't get caught. If you can do that then maybe I'll let you do some more... Exciting work next time." He smiled as a bullhead approached. He looked over to the crane driver and motioned towards the boxes. Immediately the crane moved a box into position.

I pulled my hood over and looked around at the rooftops, a feeling growing in my gut. Another bullhead flew over the rooftops and leveled over another box and lowered to pick it up. "Nobody move!" I turned around to see a girl in black holding a blade to Roman's throat. I took a step closer causing the lady to tighten her grip. "Whoa there take it easy there little lady." Roman called out while looking very uncomfortable. She pulled off her ribbon revealing two cat ears perched a top her head.

"Brothers of the white fang, why are you aiding this scum!?" I looked over to the few fang nearby. each of them lowered their weapons slightly and looked at her. Roman laughed and closed his eyes. "Oh kid, didn't you get the memo?" Before she could answer he shot his cane towards her feet, launching her back. I immediately lunged forward and kicked her weapon away. She tried to retaliate with a kick to my head but I caught it before anything could happen. I saw her eyes go wide as she was thrown into a box with a loud thud.

A kid with blonde hair and a matching blonde monkey tail. He rushed forward and threw a punch causing me to duck away from the girl. "Sun look out!" As Sun looked to her a blast from Roman sent him flying. I looked back as he motioned toward the fellow blonde. I nodded and chased after him. My fist collided with Sun's face as he stood, the punch sent him flying across the yard. I pulled out my hand gun and pointed it towards him and fired the full magazine. Sun pulled out his staff and blocked each of the shots. He stood and smiled at me then charged.

I reloaded my pistol and placed it back into the holster. As he grew closer I took a boxing stance and waited. He swung his staff aiming for my mid section. I spun on the ball of my foot dodging the attack. He came at me again with a over head strike. I side stepped the strike and grabbed his staff. He doubled over after I jammed his weapon into his stomach. Next I took it as if it were my own and started to hit him up and down all across his body. I spun the staff and struck him in the chin launching him in the air.

I threw the staff like a javelin into his back making him cry out in pain. He landed with a loud thump on the asphalt. I slowly made my way over to him as he laid spread out on the ground. The girl cried out to him and sprinted over. Before she could make it Roman shot her sending her flying across the yard. I looked back to him then to Sun. Roman shrugged and looked to the nearest building after a high pitched voice caught his attention.

Atop the rooftop was a girl dressed in red with a very large scythe. She turned around and said something, giving Roman enough time to shoot his cane and hit her directly, launching her back. A girl with red hair walked forward and stopped at the edge. Multiple swords rose from her back and spread out, hovering above her back. ( **I'm not gonna type the whole penny fight since i'm lazy, but it is the part where she shoots down the bullheads)** one of the swords went barreling towards Roman. I jumped forward and caught it mid flight. Roman nodded and walked into his Bullhead. He smiled and nodded as the door closed. I nodded back and turned towards the red headed girl. She had a frown on her face as she stared at me. The swords circled around her and pointed at me. Not wanting to get caught, I turned and ran from her and into the maze of containers hoping I could escape from what ever she was.

As I maneuvered through the boxes I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. No doubt the police after that whole fiasco, but at least Roman got away so I still can get paid for not screwing up, it was my job to protect him after all. I slid around a corner and placed my back against the box. A sigh left my lips after I couldn't detect any sounds of movement. My eyes slipped closed as I pulled my hood down. "This has been one crazy night..." I whispered then leaned my head against the box. "Indeed it has been." Before I could respond I felt something trap my arms and legs so I couldn't move. I looked to my right to see the same man from earlier, except now he had a cane.

He stepped forward into the light so I could see him fully. A small smile was plastered across his face. I looked down to my body to see a light purple aura covering it. I tried to move my arms and legs but it came up fruitless. The man tapped his cane on the floor, the click echoing through the maze. "You can not escape from your bindings, your wasting your energy." I looked over to him to see a new figure appear. It was a woman with blonde hair and glasses dressed in white and black with a odd cape around her shoulders. In her hand was a riding crop that was glowing a similar purple. She crossed her arms and gave me a disappointed look.

The man pulled out a scroll and snapped a picture of me. He placed the scroll back into his pocket and looked the the woman and nodded. With a flick of her wrist the purple aura dissipated. I kept a blank look on my face as I turned to them. "What do you want from me." The man smiled and placed both of his hands on his cane. "I would tell you, but this isn't the place to talk about such private matters, don't you agree?" A bullhead flew by followed by sirens slowly growing louder and louder. I looked behind me then back to him. "Fine." He nodded and motioned for me to follow him. He turned and walked into the maze. As I followed my eyes couldn't leave him. Questions were flying through my mind like a hurricane. I wanted to know so much about him and his assistant, but one stuck. Why not throw me to the authorities like any sane person would?

We rounded a corner to reveal a small ship. It was black with green streaks and looked very stealthy. The back door opened, the interior was white with a set of matching seats. The duo entered and sat down in the cockpit while I took one of the other seats. The door closed with a long hiss then a click. As the ship rose from the ground I looked all throughout the cabin checking for camera's or anything to record me. The man turned back to me and smiled. "Don't worry, there is nothing in here that will track you or anything. We have no plans of turning you into the authorities. Yet." My eyes went slightly wide when he finished. I then remembered the picture he took. He already had everything he needed to blackmail me. A long sigh left my lips when the motion sickness kicked in. Tonight really sucked.

 **Beacon tower**

I walked through the underground tunnels following behind the man and woman. The whole trip consisted of silence other than him basically saying "I'll turn you in if you don't comply." Even if I wanted to run or fight, they both are huntsman no doubt. After being completely immobilized by the woman, she gave off the vibe of "Don't screw with" which I definitely will follow.

We entered a small elevator that looked to be very, very old. The doors slid closed with a screech and clicked. I leaned against the railing and crossed my arms. I eyed the two suspiciously, I still didn't trust these two even if I wasn't in cuffs. The doors opened with a ding, a large office with with a lone desk was shown. Windows showed the large city in the distance, lights shining up into the sky. The two stepped out into the office, the man sat down at the desk while the woman stood by his side. He motioned for me to sit. I complied reluctantly. The seat was soft and welcoming, despite the atmosphere of the room.

I rested my hands on my knees and stared at him. He placed his hands in his lap and smirked. "I know who you are, and the reason you are here is because I have heard a great many things about you." I tensed slightly. 'What does he mean he knows who I am?' He pulled out his scroll and tapped on it a few times then slid it to me. I looked down to the screen to see a few images of the burnt forest. "I've seen what you can do Jaune, and I believe that you can become something you only could dream of." I looked up to him and frowned. "You don't know anything about me old man." I stood and walked to the elevator. Before I could call it up he spoke. "I know that your father thought you were a failure, I know that you ran and hide from the world for years, I know that your mentor was killed by the white fang, and I know who he is." My hand stopped mid motion and froze.

My eyes were wide, staring at nothing, I was focused on what he just said. I slowly turned around and stared at him. His smile turned into a frown. He stood and walked to the window and stared out. "I know what its like to lose someone close to you." I furrowed my brow. "You don't know what its like to lose your family TWICE!" I shouted at him, I grit my teeth and clenched my fists. White flames rose from my shoulders then dissipated into the air. My arms caught fire as my anger did. The woman stepped forward and pointed her crop at me. I glared at her causing her to take a step back. She looked over to the man with a worried expression. "Ozpin, its just like that time."

Ozpin looked over to her then to me. "I know Glynda, but we aren't too late." He walked up in front of me and starred into my eyes. "Jaune, you need to calm down. I know your angry but you need to focus on how you are going to avenge your mentor, blindly running into the fray will just get you killed." I lowered my head to the floor and saw my reflection. My golden eyes were shining in the dimly lit room. I let my fists relax along with the rest of my body. The flames died down along with my golden eyes. I felt a hand fall on my shoulder. "Good, you can still control it." His hand left my shoulder as he walked back to his desk. He sat down and nodded to Glynda. She turned and walked to the elevators. As she walked past I saw her give me a worried look then call it. Once she was gone, Ozpin spoke again.

"Jaune, have you heard of the sentinels?" I looked up to him and nodded. He pressed a button on his desk making a large holographic screen appear. On it, was a symbol that had four smaller symbols inside. Ozpin stood and grabbed his cane then walked to the screen. "These are the four main families that helped form the city of Vale. Their names are Hade, Price, Storm, and Arc angle." He pointed to each then stopped on Arc angel. "As you can see, your family symbol comes from this one, because you are apart of a branch family from them, that is why your last name is Arc." I let out a sigh and folded my arms. "Used to be an Arc, until I was kicked out." Ozpin smiled and sat back down at his desk.

"Just because you don't live with them doesn't mean you aren't one, take your semblance for example. Have you heard or seen of anything like it?" I shook my head in response. "Well, that's because only a few of these branch families remain, and even then its rare to see someone with such control over it. Tell me, it resembles a knight when fully formed, correct?" I thought about it then nodded. Ozpin smiled and laced his fingers together. "Glynda was right, you inherited the power of Instinct." I shifted my stance and squinted slightly. "Whats Instinct?" Ozpin fixed his glasses and pointed at my eyes. "When your eyes turn gold, they are activating a trait in your DNA that grants you special abilities. One such ability is the white fire that you can use as a weapon, another is creating the knight armor and protecting yourself. Tell me have you tried to activate this state on purpose?"

I shook my head and walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. "No, its only happened when I was angry about something." Ozpin leaned back in his chair and titled his head slightly. He hummed then leaned forward. "So it is connected to your emotions, and only triggers when something very emotional happens. I think I can help with that, getting it to come out voluntarily, instead of only specific moments. That is of course, you want to." He tapped on his desk making the screen disappear, soon after the room lit up. I let out a sigh and looked up to him. "If it means I can avenge him, then I will stay." Ozpin smiled and nodded. "Of course, you will have to still attend this school as a student, I cant just have you not doing anything or doing crimes in the city."

He slid a scroll over to me and tapped the screen. "This will be yours now, it has everything you need on it." I grabbed the scroll and placed it into my pocket then looked at him. "Wait, what about all my stuff on the bullhead coming to Vale?" He waved his hand and smiled. "I have already requested it to be delivered here, most likely by morning. Your scroll has the room number." I stood and walked to the elevator. I pressed the call button and waited. "Oh and Jaune, try to get along with the students, most are your age and quite friendly." I turned and nodded. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal a girl with long red hair up in a ponytail. She had bronze armor spanning her body with a red sash across her waist. Her bright emerald eyes were starring directly into my blue ones. She must have been the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. A small smile spread across her lips.

"Excuse me, can I get past?" I shook off my dazed state and stepped out of her way. "My apologies." She walked past and up to Ozpins desk. As I stepped in I saw he look towards me and smile slightly as the doors closed. I leaned against the rail and tried to think about everything that had just transpired but I couldn't get over how tired I was. Between the smooth motion of the elevator and the subtle noise I nearly fell asleep. My eyes shot open when I almost fell off the railing and collided with the floor. I rubbed my eyes and exited the elevator.

After about twenty minutes of walking throughout the ginormous school, I finally found my dorm room. As I walked up to it I could here loud yelling coming from a room further down then the explosion of laughter. I was honestly too tired to care at this point. I pulled on the handle only to find it locked. I tried again a few times but came up with the same thing. I groaned and placed my head against the door. I heard a clacking of heels come around the corner then stop suddenly. "Do you need help?" I turned my head to see the same girl from earlier standing tall with her hands placed behind her back.

"I have no idea how to open my door." My voice sounded like I was running on fumes, which in reality I probably was. She smiled and looked to me door. "If Professor Ozpin gave you your scroll, then you just need to wave it near the handle and it will unlock." I nodded and did as she said. The door unlocked with a click. I sighed in relief and looked back to her. "Thank you so much uh, I don't think we actually met yet." She giggled and held out her hand. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you." I shook her hand and smiled. "Jaune Arc, nice to meet you Pyrrha." A door down the hall slammed open, laughing erupted from the room. A girl in a white night gown walked out and looked over towards us.

"Ah Pyrrha, you need to get in here right now. I need your help." Pyrrha nodded and turned to me. "Well, I must go but it was very nice to see a new face. I'll see you around okay?" I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, good luck in there." She giggled and walked away. "Thanks, I'll need it." And with that the door closed. I stood there for another moment, thinking about Pyrrha. She was so friendly apon meeting someone new, and didn't hesitate to help out. Maybe people aren't all bad any more. I opened my door and flopped down onto my bed. A smile spread across my face at the feeling of cotton.

 **Chapter end**

1\. Okay so first I hope you all enjoyed, it was a shorter chapter because this has been one hectic week between finals and a bunch of other BS. anyways I don't know how I feel about this chapter, some parts felt good while others were... meh. Originally I didn't plan to put Pyrrha in but then I changed my mind and then I added her. Bite me.

2\. Next thing, There might not be a chapter next week because I may or may not have internet so it is like 50/50 if I do upload. So, if I cant upload, when I come back I'll have a lot of time so I will update a lot afterwards to make up for the missing content. Oh and more character progression next chapter along with Jaune finding out how to control his semblance. Kinda spoiler but then again it was hinted at during the story so, bite me again.

Yukas out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: Knowledge**

 **Hello everyone! Sorry for not having an update for a super long time, like I said in my last chapter my internet was down so I couldn't do anything and let me tell you; one of the most boring weeks I've had in a while. But, I'm back now so do not worry! To make up for lost time, I will update more frequently but don't expect the chapters to be bad, I will make sure they are top notch and not utter trash. This chapter was fun to write and I will start on the next one immediately. Not gonna lie I kinda stalled on this chapter just so I could get all the dialog right, sorry...**

 **Side note: 67 followers and 49 favorites! Holy crap thank you all so much! Gives me incentive to keep writing.**

 **Lord of wrath: First off, thanks for the review, secondly I am glad you like the interaction between Jaune, Ozpin, and Goodwitch. I was on the fence about the encounter and I was hoping it didn't seem too...rushed? It just felt fast paced, same with the fight scene but even in the show that whole fight was fast.**

 **Enjoy the chapter and leave a review of your thoughts, good or bad!**

I slowly awoke to the sound of someone banging on my door. For a moment, I looked around the room so I could remember where in the hell I was. My memory quickly flooded back as I remembered the night before. I placed my hand against my head, hoping it would somehow stifle the rising headache. Unfortunately, it didn't help.

I made my way to the door and pulled it open. A brown haired man stood on the other side with two duffle bagsby his legs. His eyes looked down towards his clip board then to me. "Are you...Jaune Arc?" I nodded in response as the man smiled. "Good! These are your bags by the way, I have no idea what you put in these but let me tell you, it was a challenge to get them across campus." A smile was still plastered on his face as he stared at me. I had no idea if he was waiting for a response or not until he spoke again.

"Well, I got to head out but welcome to Beacon and all that!" The man spun on the ball of his foot and started to walk down the hall. I watched as he disappeared around the corner without a sound. The sound of metal doors closing filled the empty hall signifying he was gone. I stood there for a moment before grabbing me bags and bringing them into my room. After I set them down I closed the door and sat on my bed in front of a bag. The sound of a zipper being pulled filled my room as I opened the bag. The first thing I saw was Isaac's mask sitting on top of some clothes. I picked up the mask and held it in front of my face, looking over its features.

A smile made its way across my face as I remembered the memories of my old mentor. I placed the mask down beside me and pulled out my clothes and started to arrange them in plies.

After arranging them into my cabinets and drawers, I pulled the next bag over and opened it. A white chest plate glistened in the moring sun peaking through my window. At first glance, the armor seemed like it was standard armor, but in reality it was made of metal that could take more than a few hits. I pulled the chest piece out along with the rest of the pieces. Armor ran along my biceps and forearms, connected to the chest piece by sturdy leather. The arm pieces covered a majority of my arms while still giving full mobility.

The leg pieces were identical to the arms, covering the majority of my legs while still giving mobility. A few scrapes lined the white armor, most just small scratches from enemy's who got lucky hits off.

As I was about to place it over my normal clothes I realized that I hadn't taken a shower for weeks, and I now just realized the smell. I took my clothes off with haste and got into the shower. I placed my arm on the wall to hold myself up as the water flowed over my body. Dirt and grime and sweat disappeared down the drain, along with the tension in my muscles. My eyes soon closed as I fell into a relaxed state. It had been months since I was given time to relax, while I had showers at hotels and rivers to bathe in, I never felt safe. I always felt that urge of danger lurking around, and most of the time I was right.

I had been saved multiple times by my gut instinct, though it did not help me always. Some things still caught up to me, my scars were evident of that. I shut off the shower and dried my self off. As the mirror cleared up, I was able to see my upper torso.

Small scars lined my chest and sides, some larger than others. My hand absentmindedly rubbed over said scars. The skin on some was still rough and dark while others were smooth and light. I turned so my back was visible, three large claw marks ran from shoulder to waist. Each one as deep as the next, a example of how I used to be weak and foolish. The old memory clouded my head as I stared at the marred flesh.

I wasn't ready to fight yet, but I believed it so I went out into the woods while Isaac was asleep to fight my first Grimm. Sure, I knew how to hold a sword and swing it but I wasn't near ready for a strong opponent. I realized that after my swing against the Beowolf completely missed and went wide, leaving me open for an attack. The beast didn't miss it either, with one swing it hit me with perfect aim. A scream escaped my lips as I collapsed to the ground. I heard the beast howl as It's fowl breathe ran across my skin. I surely would have been eaten right then and their if it wasn't for Isaac coming to save me.

My scroll rang in the other room. I walked over and picked it up as a message appeared on the screen. It read "Class schedule, Remnant history, Grimm studies, Dust studies, and Combat class. Please come to Ozpin's office ASAP."

I placed the scroll down onto the desk and got dressed into a new black hoodie and matching cargo pants and boots. I pulled on my finger less gloves and slid my sword onto my hip along with my pistol holster on my thigh. A sparkle caught my eye as I went to place my armor into the duffle. I reached down and pulled out a large kite shield from inside. The front was white whith gold trimmings around the edges. On the middle of the face, A large gold star was painted on. The sun light shined off of the gold paint, lighting up the room in a gold hue. I flipped it around to see magnetic plates surrounding the handle along with leather straps.

I placed both my armor and shield back into the duffle, then I lifted it up onto my shoulder. 'Huh, the guy wasn't joking about the weight.' I thought as the bag shifted on my shoulder. I grabbed my scrolls and placed it into my pocket as I walked out into the hall way. My door clicked as it closed followed by a light red light shining from the handle then disappearing. A door down the hall swung open as blonde girl stepped out. She looked over and smiled at me. "Ooooh, I didn't know we were getting a new neighbor!" She walked over and stopped in front of me, her smile still present.

"If I would have known a cutie like you was moving in I would have came and said hello." She placed her hand on her hip and kept smiling at me. With the way she was standing it was hard to not look down her shirt, even more so because of her sizable bust. "The strong silent type I see, Don't worry I wont bite. Names Yang by the way." She stuck her hand out and waited for me. I slowly looked down to her hand and shook it. She held onto my hand with a firm grip. I looked up to her lilac eyes. "Jaune." She let go and placed her hand back onto her hips. "Nice to meet a fellow blonde, well I've got to go but I'll see you around tiger." She winked and walked down the hall, swaying her hips as she did giving me a full view of her butt.

Even though I had lived alone for a while with no contact with women, I could at least tell when they were flirting. And oh boy was she flirting. I shook my head and walked the opposite direction towards Ozpin's tower.

 **Ozpin's tower: 10 minutes later**

The doors to the elevator opened with a audible ding. I saw Ozpin standing by the window looking out with Goodwitch next to him. She turned her head to look at me then tapped on her scroll. I stepped out into the office and waited next to a chair. Ozpin turned around and tapped his cane on the ground. "Good to see you up and about Mr. Arc, sleep well?" I shrugged and placed my bag down. "Not being woken up to the sound of Grimm or gunshots, yeah it was pretty good." He smiled and walked to his desk and sat down. "Have you conversed with any of the other students?" I crossed my arms and looked over to him. "Pyrrha helped me into my room, and Yang talked to me."

Ozpin smiled and leaned back into his chair. "Good to see you are not socially awkward like some other students Mr. Arc." I looked out the window and frowned. "Could you stop calling me that, it doesn't feel right." I could see Ozpin's smile drop from his face. He looked to Goodwitch and nodded. She tapped on her scroll and looked to me. "Right, well for today all I ask of you is to attend combat class so I can get you uploaded into the system, and since it is the weekend you won't have to worry about homework, for now." I nodded as she walked to the elevators and left.

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee and looked to me. "Jaune, I do not mean to pry into your business, but may I know why you don't like your last name?" I closed my eyes and let out a sigh before turning to him. "I think you know why, especially after what my _father_ has said on the news." I made the word sound like it was poisoned as it left my mouth. I could feel the tug of anger in my emotions from just thinking about him. "I understand, I will have Glynda change your last name so it doesn't become a distraction." He stood and walked to the elevator and called it.

"Since we have all day until your class, how about we do a little training?" I turned and looked at him to see a small smile plastered on his face. With a nod I grabbed my bag and walked up next to him. The doors opened and we walked in. The entire way down neither of us spoke, causing an awkward silence to fill the box. I glanced over to him just to see if he was doing anything. To my surprise, he was playing a game on his scroll. He seemed to be enjoying himself since a huge smile was shown on his face.

The elevator dinged, followed by a lurch in the elevator. The doors slid open revealing a large room. Ozpin walked out and up to a control panel. As he started to type away I looked around the room. most of it was flat and large, like a training room multiplied by two. A few rows of seats lined the side along with safety glass. Lights hung from the roof illuminating the large floor.

I looked over to Ozpin to see him turn around and tap his cane against the hard floor. "Alright Jaune, before we work on your semblance, I would like to see you in a fight. Please, when you are ready step into the center of the ring." I nodded and set my bag down onto the ground and pulled out my armor.

As I finished the last strap the elevator opened revealing Goodwitch. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked over to Ozpin in the stands. Her gaze fell onto her scroll as she tapped away. I pulled my shield out and extended my left hand, activating the magnets. The shield stuck to my arm in place. I walked to the center of the arena and rolled my shoulders getting used to the armor.

A loud hum started to resonate through the arena, echoing throughout the large room. Soon after holograms started to form out of thin air. I looked over to where Ozpin was to see him smiling. Goodwitch walked up to the glass and crossed her arms. "This room is for advanced training. When all the enemy's are defeated or your aura goes into the red, the round will end. Though these are holograms, the strength and pain of their attacks will still be present. Don't get careless." The holograms took the forms of Beowolves and Ursa.

A horn sounded as the beasts charged me. As the first beowolf closed in I got into s boxing stance. When it got close enough it reared its arm back to swipe at me. I sprinted forward and slammed the point of my shield into its throat. Black blood squirted out of the new opening, covering the ground. I jumped back as the now life less body slumped to the ground.

Two more rushed forward growling and snarling at me. I deactivated the magnets and threw the shield at one. The shield lodged into its skull with a loud crack from the bone. Its buddy rushed forward snarling as saliva dripped from its jaws. The wolf swiped at me with its large paw splinting the air where my head just was. I ducked and ran past the swipe towards the decaying wolf behind it. I ripped my shield from its head and placed it back onto my arm.

I ran to the next wolf and sliced its neck with the edge then slid through another's legs and jumped up over an Ursa. I pulled Ember from its sheathe still in dagger form and stabbed it into the back of the Ursa. With haste I jumped and dragged the blade through its tough flesh and created a large gash from its back to its neck. It let out one final growl as I tore Ember from its body. The ground shook as it collided with the floor, black blood started to pool around its corpse.

I quickly sliced through the remaining beasts with ease, it felt as if they weren't even trying to attack me. I looked around the arena to see the decaying bodies of the Grimm. A horn sounded as another hologram started to form. I looked over to Ozpin and Goodwitch only to see a black screen where they used to be. I let out a sigh as the hologram started to form a deathstalker.

Another horn sounded as the deathstalker finished. Its eyes shot open and looked directly at me followed by a screech that echoed throughout the room. I clenched my eyes shut and gritted my teeth from the loud noise. Before I could react the beast slammed its claw into my chest, sending me flying across the room. I impacted with floor causing me to roll/slide. The deathstalkers tail stabbed into the ground next to me as I rolled away. I looked up to see its red eyes staring at me, rage was evident in them. Another screech escaped its mouth as it yanked its tail from the ground. I pulled my pistol from its holster and unloaded the magazine into its eyes.

A few bullets impacted one of its eyes, causing it to screech and scamper away giving me time to grab my sword. I holstered my pistol and grabbed Ember from the ground and extended the rest of the blade. The deathstalker let out another screech and charged at me. I stood to my full height and brought my shield up. Its claw collided with my shield again and again trying to knock me off balance. I was slowly pushed back, my boosts squeaking on the hard floor.

It reared its stinger back and struck down at me. I deflected the stinger and jumped up onto its tail and jumped over the rest of the body. I placed my shield onto my back and ran towards the back of the deathstalker. I slid onto my back and under the beats while simultaneously dragging my blade against its soft underbelly. Black blood spewed from the gash as my blade dragged against the soft flesh. The deathstalker roared in pain as I appeared on the other side. It tried to get one final stab but collapsed at my feet.

I let out a sigh as the horn sounded. Speakers crackled to life as the glass turned back to its normal color. "Well done Jaune, I must say that was quite impressive. It has been a while since I have seen a Deathstalker killed by one man." Ozpin spoke in an amused tone. I shifted my gaze towards him to see a small smile plastered on his face. He made his way towards me from the stands with Goodwitch in tow. I slid Ember back into its sheathe as he approached. "Now that I'm done with my test, can we work on what you said we were going to?" I asked with an annoyed tone. Goodwitch scowled at me. "You should show more respect to your superiors Mr. Arc."

I matched her scowl with my own. "I told you that's not my name old hag." Her brows furrowed as she unfolded her arms. "What did you just call me?" Before I could answer Ozpin tapped his can and stepped up to me. "Jaune, you need to calm down. Both of you are at fault." He turned to Goodwitch which caused her to look away. He looked back to me and fixed his glasses. "Now, you know that a semblance is connected to your soul correct?" I nodded. "Have you ever meditated before Jaune?" I shook my head. "Its quite simple. Sit down and get comfortable and close your eyes."

I listened and sat down. "Alright, now focus on clearing your mind of everything, for this to work you must be able to stay level headed." With a sigh I complied and cleared my head of anything and everything. "Good, now you must block out every outside noise, including my voice and imagine your aura and focus on only that. If done right, you will enter a dream like state, after that it is up to you on what you want."

I felt a little confused on his last statement but pushed it away and did as he said. Eventually the only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat. I could feel my aura flowing through my body, twisting and turning as it flowed. A slight shock went through my head as a light started to appear. I brought my arm up to block out the light. 'Wait, how can I see my arm?' I thought as I stared at my arm, I looked down to the rest of my body to see it was black and almost couldn't be seen. I looked back up to the light to see a younger version of myself standing alone with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Each drop echoed as it struck the floor. My father walked up and stood by my younger self, he had a frown plastered across his face as he stared down. He shook his head and folded his arms. "Such little promise. Even your eldest sister showed more strength at this age." He slowly walked off into the darkness, leaving my younger self alone crying. Soon after other shadows started to appear, each varied in size and had red large eyes and sharp white teeth. They started to laugh and point at my younger self.

I tried to move but couldn't, I looked down at my legs to see them covered in black mud. When I looked back to the light I saw my younger self run off into the darkness, leaving the shadows behind. I tried to yell out to him, but the only thing that escaped my lips was a hoarse groan. I tried to move again but failed. The mud felt as if it was getting stronger. A new light appeared to my left followed by the clash of metal. I slowly looked over and saw myself sitting in the stands next to my father. He had a smile on his face as he stared at the match.

I saw my eldest sister fighting a opponent, I thought back to the day that happened and slumped forward. She finished off her opponent as the crowd cheered. My father started to clap and smile more. "See Jaune, your sister Mary is strong and has little weakness, the signs of a true huntsman." Mary started to walk towards out seats with a smile presented on her face. My younger self looked up to him and smiled. "Dad, I want to be just like her and be a huntsman!" My fathers smile disappeared almost instantly as he looked down at him. "No Jaune, you can't be a huntsman because you would be too weak. Mary started her training even younger than you and showed more promise then anyone. Now run along and wait for us."

I tried to call out to him, but again nothing escaped my lips. My legs however, moved slightly in the mud. Mary went to hug my younger self but lowered her arms as she saw him trying to not cry. He walked past her without looking up from the ground and disappeared into the shadows. She looked up to my father who still had a frown present. "Don't pity him Mary, he is too weak and you know it." She shook her head and turned away from him.

A new light appeared to my right followed by the sound of mud splashing. I looked over and saw myself lying in the mud with a sword laying by my side. My chest was rising and falling quickly from the exhaustion. My father walked out of the darkness and stood over my younger self. He scoffed and sheathed his sword. "Weak, your are never going to be a huntsman. You can't even last without your aura! You are no son of mine."

I watched as he walked away into the dark, leaving my younger self behind. I grunted and grit my teeth and I moved through the black mud. Each step felt heavier and heavier but I kept pushing forward. With a roar I jumped into the light. I looked down to see my younger self gone, in his place was a broken sword. The black mud dripped from my boots and hands, splattering the white floor. I slowly looked up to see my father standing in front of me. He brought his hand back and swung at me.

I caught his hand and threw it away from me. An angry expression came over my face as I stared at him. "Finally got some back bone huh? Took you long enough. I see you are still we-" I jumped forward and slammed my fist into his cheek before he could finish. He stumbled back and exploded into white flames then disappeared. I looked down to my fist to see white flames slowly disperse. The mud that was coating my fist had now disappeared.

Heavy boots appeared from the darkness and stopped in front of me. I slowly looked up and saw a man dressed in knight armor staring down at me. His armor shifted as he walked around me. "I see I chose correctly." His voice boomed throughout the area. He stopped in front of me and crossed his arms. "Hm, I think I did." I shook my head and looked up at him. "What do you mean chose correctly?" The man remained silent for a moment then spoke. "You know of the sentinels yes?" I nodded. "And of the branch families?" I nodded again.

I could tell he relaxed a bit as his shoulders slummed slightly. "Oh thank goodness, I thought I was gonna have to explain that too. "He slowly pulled off his helmet to reveal his bright blonde hair and blue eyes. He tossed his helmet to the side, said helmet burst into white flames then disappeared. "I, am Samuel Arc. Your oldest ancestor." My mouth dropped open followed by my eyebrows rising. Samuel smiled and laughed. "Oh that never gets old. Yes, I know this is confusing but I will explain it all."

"Right now you are in a dream state, and those memories you saw were a test by me. I made you see the most stressful and painful moments of your life to see how you would react. Luckily enough, you didn't deny them and watched meaning you accept them. Only you know the truth behind those moments, and if you were to deny them then you would be denying your own life." He started to pace back and forth. "Now you must be thinking why I didn't show the death of your master, well while you thought of him as family, he wasn't and you know that." My shoulders slumped as I looked down to the ground. He noticed and quickly replied.

"I'm not here to degrade you Jaune, I'm here to teach you about your semblance. That in fact is how you are seeing me right now. Actually you should thank your headmaster, without him we wouldn't be talking." I looked up to him with a confused expression. "My headmaster? Wait I don't even know how to use my semblance!" Samuel pulled his blade from its sheathe and held it up in front of my eyes. I starred at it and saw that my eyes were now yellow and slit like a cats. "H-how!? This hasn't happened in years!"

He placed his sword back into his sheathe and smiled. "Actually it happened in your headmasters office, but before that it only happened in very stressful situations. Your semblance is connected to your feelings and reacts depending on the strongest one. Anger activates it the easiest, followed by love." I looked down to the ground and frowned. Samuel Placed his hand on my shoulder. "You are special Jaune. There are few who get to use this power, and even less who can use it correctly." I looked up to him with a confused look. "What do you mean correctly?" He snapped his fingers as a light appeared a little ways away.

Samuel turned and looked over to it. "When you activate your semblance, your feelings are strengthened tenfold, and it takes a lot of focus to control them. Some blessed by this power fall short on focus and become engulfed by their emotions." Two men appeared in the light. Both had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked young. "These two are your ancestors that lived long ago. Their names were Alec and Joshua. Both went through hardships like you. Alec lost his family to the Grimm and was forced to watch." Alec stepped forward and closed his eyes.

"Alec learned to control his emotions and thus was gifted the full extent of Instinct." Alec's eyes shot open, both were gold and slit like mine. White knight armor formed over his body and shined. White blades and daggers formed in the air behind him and pointed forward. "Each Arc's Instinct is different. Alec was able to create weapons at will and use them in battle." Alec slowly faded and disappeared. Joshua walked forward next and closed his eyes. "Joshua watched as his family was executed for bringing in a Faunas to their home, he unfortunately didn't take this as well as Alec."

Joshua's eyes shot open, but instead of being gold they were red, the whites of his eyes were turned black. A wicked smile spread across his face as Black knight armor formed. Horns formed out the front of his helmet as well as spikes that appeared throughout his body. Samuel stepped forward and snapped his fingers. Black flames rose from the armor and started to create Beowolves and Ursa.

"Joshua let his emotions overcome him. His anger turned him into a monster, and he used his power for it as well. I wasn't able to get to him in time to save him from his fate." Joshua faded as Samuel turned towards me, a frown was now present. "If you are controlled by your emotions like that, your body slowly dies and withers away to the point where you become poisoned by your own aura since your body can't filter it anymore." Samuel closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "It is a slow, and agonizing death that cannot be stopped after you have been engulfed."

He placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. "That will not happen to you Jaune, while you have gone through much pain, I can tell you hold your beliefs close to your heart, that is why you refused to use your weapon against those teens at the docks." He looked away from me and sighed again. "If something ever happens where you start to be overcome by your hate, then I will stop it but I can only do it once. After that it is up to you." I nodded causing him to smile.

"Now I bet your wondering how you can see me! Well when Instinct is active, which is your eye." He tapped my forehead lightly. "You are able to see the flow of aura in everyone." He reared his fist back and swung at me. Time seemed to slow down as his fist neared me. I quickly ducked as it passed over me. Samuel went back into a relaxed stance and smiled. "Also, your senses are doubled. So, you can see an attack coming at you in slowed down time." I smiled and nodded. "Now while you can see the attack, your body might now always be able to react fast enough to do anything. So, don't think you are invincible."

Samuel snapped his fingers as a huge wall of white aura appeared next to us. I watched in awe as it rose up twenty stories. "Remember how I said each person Instinct is different? Well mine is I'm able to change the environment to my will, like this wall here." He patted my shoulder and looked at the wall. "Think of it as a second semblance, but it drains your aura way faster than normal so don't use yours too much." I looked over to him with a confused expression. "What is my Instinct anyway?" Samuel folded his arms and smiled. "You used it in the forest, you can control your white flames! The flames strength depends on how much aura you put into it. It all depends on your aura and if your Instinct is active."

"That in fact, is how you are seeing me right now! I'm aura that has taken form in your mind, well for now." He looked down to his arm that was now see through. "Huh, it seems my time is running out for now. Before I go there is one more thing I need to do." He walked over to me and placed his hand on my head and closed his eyes. I felt a tingle in my forehead as he released me. I starred at him for a second waiting for a reply. "Well, what did you do?"

Samuel smiled and folded his ghostly arms. "I just gave you a little push on activating your semblance. Their are four parts to Instinct, one is your eyes which is the easiest, second you activated in the forest you burned down." He laughed a bit when he finished. "And the other two, will happen eventually with enough practice." The rest of his body started to fade away. "Remember Jaune, don't let your hate control you. Stay focused." And with that he disappeared completely.

Soon after that the light around me started to fade into black. I felt extremely tired and let my eyes close with the darkness.

My real eyes shot open as I regained feeling in my body. I quickly glanced to Goodwitch who surprisingly was still there. "H-how long was I meditating?" She looked up from her scroll and starred at my eyes. "A few hours, but I see it was worth it." A small smile arose on her face as she held her scroll down in front of me. I was ableto see my reflection as well as my now golden eyes. "It seems Ozpin was right about you."

 **Chapter end**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Longest one yet!**

 **Yukas out**


	5. Chapter 5

I **hope you all will enjoy, more fight scenes!**

 **Chapter 4: Combat**

I starred at Goodwitch with a blank expression. I knew I should be confused about what she just said, but after that whole trip I just went on it didn't really faze me. "So can I go now?" I stood up and placed my shield on my back and looked at her. She held a amused expression as she tapped her scroll a few times. "No, I want to see you use your semblance." I shook my head and laughed. "You expect me to fight after I just learned how to activ-" I stopped speaking when I heard boots stomping to my left. I quickly turned my head to see a suit of armor charging at me and swing at me with its fist. I quickly moved my head out of the way as the fist passed by in slow motion.

I skipped backward to place some distance from me and the suit. "That thing could have took my head off!" Goodwitch just smiled as the suit stood in front of her. "Oh I know, but I need to see how powerful that semblance of yours really is. Don't worry, this suit will stop when you either deactivate it, or it breaks your legs and arms." I just starred at her in awe. 'You have got to be kidding me.' I thought, this really was outrageous.

The suit charged at me and went to swipe my legs. In response I back peddled away as it tried to hit me with a multitude of punches and kicks. With my new semblance it almost felt like child's play, seeing your enemy attack before they even think about it was pretty helpful. A smile crept across my face as I kept dodging around its attacks. I waited for the right moment after the bot through a punch. I ducked under it and planted my foot on his chest plate sending it flying away from me.

It maneuvered in mid air and landed on its feet while simultaneously pulling out a rifle. I had barely enough time to pull my kite shield down to block the hail of bullets. I peaked around the side of the shield to see the suit slowly walking towards me as it fired. I pulled Ember from its sheathe and waited for the bot. I closed my eyes and started to count down in my head waiting.

When I felt the time was right I ran forward and slammed my shield into the bots rifle, knocking it off balance. With one motion I spun and sliced the rifle in half with Ember and shield bashed the bot again to keep it stunned. With another spin I stabbed Ember into the bots stomach and pulled upward. Sparks and wires erupted from the cut as I dragged my sword up through its body.

With a loud yell I pulled Ember from the bots body, effectively slicing it in half. I watched as the bot fell to its knees and slouched forward. Goodwitch approached from my right as I placed my weapons back to their respective places. She walked up beside me and flicked her riding crop at the bot. Soon after a purple glow emanated from its body as the circuits and wires reconnected.

The bot slowly stood and looked at me. Even if it didn't have a face it was still a little intimidating. The bot turned and walked back into the darkness and disappeared. Goodwitch turned to me and tilted her head slightly. "Well you didn't get incapacitated, so I guess that deserves a well done don't you think?" I gave her a annoyed look as she smiled. "It is lunch time right now, so please help yourself to the food. Combat class is right after so don't miss it. Who knows, maybe you'll get to fight against some real opponents." Her smiled vanished as she turned and walked away. I watched as the elevator doors hiding her body, but yet I was still able to see her purple aura in the box as it lifted upwards.

 **Cafeteria: 5 minutes later**

I pushed open the cafeteria doors and was instantly met with the aroma of food. I swear I could have been in heaven with how good that over crowded room smelt, even with all the students. As I made my way down the isles I noticed a few people giving me looks but anytime I would look in their direction it was like I was about to turn them to stone.

After the long and awkward walk I made it to the food heaven. It was the hardest choices I've ever made (Ok, a little exaggerated). So many choices of pizza, burgers, pasta's and salads. I even noticed a few of the lunch ladies laughing at me a little, but I couldn't blame them because of the faces I was probably making. After making my decision of a few burgers and pizza, I made my way back down the long walk of awkward. This time not as many people looked my way except for one table that had all of its occupants staring at me like I was some sort of prize.

I tried my hardest to not look at them and kept walking until I found a table all by its self. After placing my tray down I quickly got to work on my feast. Since I didn't eat breakfast and had to sit in the same place for a few hours AND finally learn how to control my semblance, I was pretty hungry.

About half way through my food I noticed a girl approaching from my left. I slowly turned and saw yellow and only yellow. Long blonde hair flowed behind her accompanied by bright vibrant lilac eyes boring into me. A sweet yet cocky smile was plastered on her perfect skin. She slid into the seat across from me and winked at me. For some reason, I felt a strange heat radiating from her.

"Hello there fellow blonde, names Yang." She stuck her hand out and held it there. I looked down to her hand then back to her eyes. They had a look of confidence in them, as well as strength. I swallowed my bite and shook her hand. "Jaune." She smiled brighter and released my hand. "So, your the new kid huh? What school did you go to before coming to the mighty Beacon academy?" I finished up my second to last burger and wiped my face. "I didn't go to a school before here." I watched as her face adopted a look of surprise.

"You didn't go to a combat school?" I shook my head and started on my last burger. She blinked a few times and mumbled under her breathe. "Wait if you didn't go to a combat school then how did you get in? Fake your transcripts?" She nudged my arm and winked. I gave her a blank expression and shook my head. "No I didn't, don't take me for someone stupid." She backed down after that and laughed nervously.

I quickly finished my food and leaned back and released a content sigh. "So, why did you come over here? Surely not to accuse me of faking my transcripts." I folded my arms and watched as students began leaving the cafeteria. I saw a brute of a man follow a rabbit Faunas out the back doors. From what I could tell she wasn't happy. Before I could get up Yang spoke up again. "I came over because you were sitting alone, so I decided to give you some company." I looked back to her to see if she was kidding. And from what I could tell she didn't seem like it.

"Well thank you for looking out for me Yang, not a lot of people do that anymore." I mumbled the last part and stood up while grabbing my tray. She stood with me and smiled. "I'll have to introduce you to my team sometime, I think you could get along with them. Speaking of teams, are you on one?" I threw my trash away and shook my head. "Nope, Ozpin said nothing about a team. I usually don't work with teams anyway." I placed my tray on the trash can and started to walk to the back door. "Nice talking with you Yang." I half waved as she turned and walked away.

The door let out a low screech as I pushed it open. To my right I was able to see the back of brute from earlier. As I approached I was able to hear what they were talking about. "So, you like it when I pull your ears you Faunas freak?" The brutes voice boomed throughout the empty lot. I heard whimpers start to come from the poor girl who was on her knees.

"I bet you get off on me pulling your ears huh?" A scowl made its way across my face as I heard him keep harassing the girl. "No please leave me alone Cardin!" She yelled but to no avail he kept his grip as she struggled to get away. I rushed forward when I saw him bring his fist back to hit her. Before he could however, I kicked his mid section causing him to stumble away from the girl. I walked over and stood in front of her, blocking his view.

I looked down to see one of her ears bent as well as tears streaming down her cheeks. "Hey what the hell asshole!?" I turned to see Cardin holding his stomach and glaring at me. I just crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. "I'm the asshole? Weren't you just abusing this poor girl?" His face shifted into an even angrier glare. "Girl!? That thing is a monster! Don't you see those huge ears on her head?" I turned and looked down to her ears then here red eyes that were staring at me. I turned back and kept a straight face.

"I just see a girl who was treated in a way no woman ever should." I heard the girl gasp behind me as Cardin stood to full height. "Oh so you're a Faunas lover huh!? Well then you deserve the same fate!" I watched as he slowly ran at me. I unfolded my arms and placed my hand on a nearby trash can. Cardin brought his fist back and sent it barreling towards my face. I knocked his fist to the side and slammed my leg into his balls then followed up by slamming the trash can over his body and kicking him away. He stumbled and fell to the floor with a crash.

I spun and grabbed the girls hand and rushed away from Cardin. As we ran I turned back to see Cardin's teammates appear and crowd around the bully. Before they could spot us we entered one of the classroom buddings and into a empty classroom.

I stood by the window and watched to see if any of the goons were following. After about a minute, I released a sigh and turned to the brunette. She was sitting on the teachers desk rubbing her injured ear, a frown was also present. As I walked closer she perked up and smiled. "Thank you for helping me! I'm sure you want something in return right?" I shook my head and smiled slightly. "No, just seeing that smile on your face is good enough for me." She giggled and rubbed her arm. "Why did you save me? If you don't mind me asking..." Her eyes flicked to mine then down to the ground as I folded my arms.

"Lets just say I'm not fond of bullies and while you seem like you could handle yourself in a fight, I couldn't just stand by and watch. That and I was taught that woman shouldn't be hit if its not necessary. Plus I hate people who treat Faunas wrong just because they were born like they are." I watched as her face lit up at my words. Before anything else could be said the class bell rung. Before turning to leave I walked up to her and held my hand out. "Names Jaune by the way."

She smiled and shook my hand gently. "Velvet." I smiled back and headed to the door. Before turning the nob and walking out I turned to her one more time and nodded. "It was nice meeting you Velvet, even under the bad conditions." She giggled and waved as I walked into the hall.

As I walked down the halls towards combat class, I noticed Cardin farther down leaning against the door to the class. I made my way over and walked through. When I did I noticed he gave me a glare. I winked and stepped over his foot as he tried to trip me. He grumbled under his breath and followed me in.

I noticed most of the seats were already filled as I made my way up the steps. Fortunately I saw Cardin break off and sit with his cronies. I decided to take the highest seat up so I could be by myself since I didn't have any friends. I watched as the last of the students walked in. I watched as Velvet walked in and sat down next to a girl in black. She had a bow on top of her head and a book stuck to her face. Velvet said something causing her turn her head and look in Cardin's direction. That's when I realized that she was the girl from the docks last night.

I instantly shrunk in my seat hoping she wouldn't look up my way. Luckily she didn't and turned back to her book. I let out a sigh of relief as the bell rang starting the class. Goodwitch walked in and looked up at me and smiled. I kept a blank look on my face hoping to not give any indication that I didn't want to fight. Luckily, her eyes shifted to other students as she picked a few.

As the class dragged on I decided to toss my knife around. A few fights went on, most uninteresting. Yang went up but totally crushed her opponent with one punch, it was actually kinda funny when the poor kid tried to block her fist. He was sent flying out of the ring and into a wall sending cracks webbing up the side. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, he could have just gave up.

A thought invaded my mind as I continued to flip my knife. Ozpin never told me who killed Isaac. Hell that was the whole purpose of even being here. Of course when I find out I'm gonna hunt that bastard and make him pay for what he did. I could feel my aura reacting to my anger. My hands started to feel hot as the flames tried to rise from them. I let out a breath and calmed down, making the sensation die down as well as my anger. The buzzer sounded signifying the end of another match.

"Alright class, now we are going to have our new student come to the ring." I looked down to Goodwitch to see her smiling. I grit my teeth as my knife slipped through my fingers and stuck into the floor. "Come on Jaune, don't be shy." I stood slowly and picked up my knife and slid it back into my pocket and made my way down the stairs to where she was standing. Before turning to the locker room I glared at her. She just smiled innocently and nodded.

"Now any volunteers?" I looked up into the stands and saw Cardin smile and raise his hand. "I'll beat him into a pulp for ya!" He walked down puffing out his chest and plastering a huge grin on his ugly face. As he walked past me he slid his thumb across his throat and smiled brighter. I just rolled my eyes and waited for him to disappear. Before making my way down the steps I glanced to the girl in black to see her amber eyes boring holes into me.

Cardin gripped my arm as he went to leave and turned to me. "I've got a deal for ya Blondie, you throw the match and I'll forget about what happened in the back OK?" I pondered the request for a second then smiled. "Yeah I'll throw the match. I'll run at your first and then just knock me out in one hit alright?" I kept a cheery expression on my face as he smiled. His hand left my arm as he laughed and left the room. The smile on my face disappeared almost instantly as he turned the corner. 'Oh he is going to get his ass beat.' I thought as I slid my shield onto my back and headed for the door.

As I entered the arena I saw Cardin on the other side with his mace placed on his shoulder, a huge grin plastered across his face. I didn't even bother to activate Instinct, with how slow he was before, this would be a breeze. I looked up to Goodwitch to see her tap her scroll a few times then look down to the arena. I rolled my shoulders a few times and prepared to charge at the brute across the way.

"Same rules as normal, when either persons aura hits red or are knocked out of the ring then the match will end, understood." I nodded and watched as Cardin got his mace ready to hit me. 'I can't believe he actually thought I am going to throw the match.' I thought as the buzzer sounded. When I ran at him I ran much slower so he could actually hit me. Cardin went for a horizontal swing to my head, a smile still on his face. Said smile disappeared when I bent backwards under the swing.

He tried to go for and over head slam but stopped when my boot came up and stopped the mace mid-swing. I spun on my hands and knocked his mace away then planted my feet on the floor and lunged forward and slammed my fist into his gut causing a grunt to escape Cardin's lips. I backed away as he fell to his knees still holding his stomach. Cardin's eyes slowly met mine, a look of anger filled them. "Y-you were supposed to throw the match..." I shrugged and yawned. "I'm not your bitch, and neither is Velvet." I swiftly planted my foot on the back of his head and slammed his head into the floor with a curb stomp. The buzzer sounded soon after.

I looked up to Goodwitch who smiled slightly then turned to the crowd. "Can the rest of team CDRL please go and move Cardin from the training floor." I watched as his team mates slowly got up and moved down to the arena. each one of them gave me a dirty look as they left. 'Eh, shouldn't have challenged me.' I thought as I walked back to my position on the floor.

"Now we have time for one more match, would anyone like to fight?" I watched as the girl in black slowly stood and nodded. Our eyes met as she walked down the steps towards Goodwitch. "Ah miss Belladonna! Glad to see you participate." I saw her team mates stand up and high five each other. One of the team mates was Yang who had a massive grin on her face. "Yeah go Blake! Kick his butt!" Both Yang and a smaller girl in red said in unison. Blake just kept walking into the locker room.

When she finally emerged from the locker room I noticed she now had a very stern look her face. Her eyes met mine again and this time they seemed focused, not a hint of fear or any emotion really. As she pulled out her Katana I pulled out my shield. 'I'll test her first, then see if I need Instinct.' I thought as we got into our respective stances.

The buzzer sounded as Blake rushed forward without missing a beat. She went for a diagonal slash which I blocked easily. Next she tried to sweep my legs but I simply jumped away out of her reach. Her katana shifted revealing the barrel of a pistol. Soon after bullets started to ping off my shield as I blocked the barrage of shots. I was surprised when she threw her gun at me while simultaneously firing a shot to make it go faster. It harmlessly bounced off my shield then retracted back to her via ribbon.

I pulled my own pistol from is holster and hid it behind my shield. Luckily she didn't notice as I fired a shot from under my shield. The bullet hit her directly in the thigh causing her to yelp in pain. I looked up to the board to see it had taken a sizable chunk from her aura. 'So she doesn't have a lot of aura like me, that means sh will try to finish this quickly.' I thought as she started to circle around. I kept my shield pointed towards her just in case.

In the blink of an eye she threw her weapon again. This time instead of blocking it I turned my shoulder away from the pistol and let it fly past me. Before she could retract it I grabbed the ribbon and tugged on it. She was sent flying towards me as I brought my shield back to slam it into her. My attack connected but soon after her body disappeared into thin air. I reacted just in time to duck under her blade. Now she kept striking at my shield not giving me a opening.

I parried one of her strikes luckily which gave me a few seconds of time. In that time I pulled Ember from its sheathe in a reverse grip and swung at her consecutively. The small dagger only hit her a few times, the rest she blocked. I switched Ember into a normal grip and lunged at her. I watched her eyes, she knew it would miss, but I didn't. With the tap of a button Ember extended into its full form. The blade sliced through her side, taking a huge chunk out of her aura.

She jumped back and held her side. We both looked up to the board to see my aura still in the green while her's was halfway in the yellow. 'One more goo strike and she's done, but she knows that too. I'll have to catch her off guard.' I thought as I thought of a plan on how to get the last hit in. An idea popped into my head as I remembered that Instinct still wasn't active. A small smiled crept along my face.

I rushed forward and brought Ember down in a overhead slash. As I expected she blocked with her own sword. I closed my eyes as we struggled to dominate each other. I quickly activated Instinct and opened my eyes. Her own eyes went wide when she saw my gold irises. Her grip faltered for a second giving me the advantage I need. I brought me shield down and slammed the tip onto the edge of her sword. Her blade fell to the ground as she did leaving her defenseless. I brought down ember and held it just under her chin.

She let loose a sigh knowing the match was over. "I give." She called out to Goodwicth. Soon after the buzzer sounded and I placed my weapons into their respective places. I grabbed her weapon and held out my hand to her. She gripped it and hoisted herself up. Before I could let go she gripped my hand harder and got close to me and whispered. "Top of the roof of the dorm building tonight. We need to talk." Before I could respond she grabbed her sword and walked to the door as the bell for the classes rung through the classroom.

I turned to look at her to see she was walking with her team mates. But before she turned the corner she gave me one last glance then disappeared.

As I waited for the rest of the students to leave my thoughts from earlier started to flood back into my head. I've been waiting for so long to finally find the person who took everything away from me. People always say revenge doesn't let you live your life, but that has been my whole life. Revenge basically described me. First it was my father. I wanted to show him how strong I could become, how I didn't need his help all the time.

But that revenge was forgotten and buried after my second and only family was taken from me. It had been my only purpose; to kill the person who took everything away. It kept me up at night just thinking about how I would go about making them pay. Torture seemed like the best. Slow painful torture. It only seemed right, after what they did.

"Hey, you okay Jaune?" I blinked a few times and turned to the new voice. Pyrrha was now standing to my right, a worried expression was on her face. I blinked a few times again and shook my head while deactivating Instinct in the process. "Yeah I'm, I'm good." I turned back to her to see she still had the same expression. "Are you sure? You seem like something is bothering you." For a moment, I almost wanted to tell her everything. It had been so long since I had someone to open up to. with me being on the move all the time and not really talking to anyone, it had been very lonely.

"Yeah I'm sure. Thanks for worrying." She was about to say something else until a new voice sounded throughout the room. "Hey Pyrrha let's go, team RWBY is waiting for us!" I looked over to see who the voice belonged too. A man in a black trench coat stood in the door way. He had black hair and dark green eyes. A large sword as strapped to his back. "Come on we got to go!" Even his voice was light and cheery. I thought back to when I used to be like that, happy and full of happy purpose. Pyrrha placed her hand on my shoulder and gripped it slightly. "I'll see you later okay?" I just nodded and watched as she walked out of the room. The boy gave me a stern look then followed. I silently laughed to myself. 'Man, what is it with people in black hating me?' I thought as I walked to the door.

I slowly pushed open the door to the roof and walked out. The sun was starting to set behind the mountains off in the distance. The emerald tower was glowing bright green since the sun was now reflecting perfectly off of it. A light breeze rustled the mop of hair I had on my head. My golden bangs lightly brushing across my forehead. I walked to the edge and sat down while dangling my feet over the edge. So much had happened in the last week it was stupid. between Roman and my plans of getting information getting screwed by Blake and her friend to attending Beacon. Now that I think about it, the last time I thought about going to Beacon was seven years ago.

Hours passed as I sat there ans starred up at the sky. Waiting fortunately was a specialty of mine, hours was nothing compared to years.

The door to the roof slowly opened with a low screech. Light footsteps made their way towards me then stopped about halfway. "I didn't think you would actually show up." I turned my head slightly to see Blake standing behind me. He weapon hanging from her back. I turned back to the tower and sighed. "I'm a man of my word." I heard her sigh then shift her stance. "I'll get straight to the point, why were you working with Roman at the docks?" I kept staring at the sky, not moving in the slightest.

"Even if I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me." I stood and turned to her and folded my arms. She started to frown and glare at me. "Go ahead and try me." I sighed and placed my hand on the hilt of Ember. "I was there because I needed information. I wasn't able to get any because you and your boyfriend decided to screw everything up." Blake tightened her fists and took a step towards me. "We were at fault!? You were working with a criminal who was stealing dust! He probably even killed a few people there!" I shook my head. "You don't know what I've been through to get to this point, the things I've had to do." She took another step forward and grit her teeth.

"So you killed and stole from people so you could work with the white fang!? You're not even a Faunas!" I closed my eyes and shook my head and absentmindedly activated Instinct. When I opened my eyes I could see her aura flowing through her at and accelerated rate. "I did those things because I had to watch my only family die in my arms at the hands of the white fang! I've vowed my life to getting my revenge for him!" I felt the flames try to rise out of my body again. I shut my eyes and grit my teeth trying to not let them out.

The more I focused on the flames the more they fought back. It was like something I had never felt before, the heat rising from me. I felt like a furnace, cooking from the inside out. My eyes felt like they were trying to jump from their sockets. 'Let me lose, I know you want to...' A voice called to me in my head, it was like a whisper but there. 'Come on, lets find the man who destroyed your life...'

"I'm sorry, for accusing you of such things." My eyes shot open as I looked to her. She was now looking down at the ground and her aura was calm now. "I know what its like to lose someone close to you. I had no idea." as she spoke I felt the flames start to die down as well as the heat. Even the voice had disappeared. " It was wrong of me to accuse you, its hard to trust people in the world today." I nodded and walked up to her. She slowly lifted her head, pain was evident in her eyes. "Just, listen to your friends and don't distance yourself from people." I paused for a moment and looked away. "Don't be like me and shut everyone out. It only leads to pain and loneliness." And with that I left the rooftop and headed to my dorm.

As I reached my dorm I saw Pyrrha and her team walking towards their dorm. I opened my door and went to walk in but stopped and looked back at them. Pyrrha let her team go in before looking at me. We held each others gaze before I turned and walked into my room and closed the door. I sat down on my bed and placed my head into my hands. Soon after my scroll buzzed from my pocket. I pulled it out and read the message.

"I believe you are ready to know. -Ozpin"

 **Chapter end**

Holy crap that was a long chapter. Please leave your feed back, really motivates me to keep going ya know? Anyways hope you all enjoyed!

Yukas out


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone, just a quick little thing here. As of me writing this, my story has had 90 follows and 65 favorites! This is a huuuuuuuge milestone for me. I honestly didn't expect for this story to be this popular, all the support has been a great deal of help for my motivation. Thank you all for being awesome and helpful.**

 **Chapter 5: Thoughts**

The elevator doors slid open as it reached the top of the emerald tower. I stepped out and walked up to Ozpin's desk. He was staring out towards the city, mug present in his hand. I cleared my throat causing him to turn and walked to his desk.

"You must be wondering what I meant when I messaged you hm?" He slowly sat down and sipped from his mug. I nodded in response and glanced down to his scroll which had a picture of a man dressed in a black vest with a mask covering his face. Ozpin reached for the scroll and leaned back after grabbing it.

He tapped an icon as the large screen from before came down. The same image from his scroll appeared on the screen. More of the image could be seen, behind him boxes were destroyed along with a building. Fire blanketed the ground around him. His mask had one eye hole on the right. The rest of the mask looked like it spiraled into the hole. His hair was black and spiky that faded into blonde at the tips.

"Jaune do you know who this is?" I starred at the picture a little longer then shook my head. Ozpin turned in his chair and looked at the screen. "This man works for the white fang and he is very good at what he does." I sat down in one of the chairs and folded my arms. "And what exactly does he do?" Ozpin turned back to me and frowned. "His name is Hayden price, or better known as the phantom. He hunts down huntsman and white fang traitors." A new image popped up showing Hayden standing next to Adam. Adam's sword was sticking out of a man who was lying dead at his feet.

I frowned slightly at the image as Ozpin spoke again. "Unfortunately Hayden has killed many good men. Most of them were former white fang who joined us to help bring them down. He is ruthless and will not hesitate to kill you on site." I sighed and lazily looked to Ozpin. "What does this have to do with me?" Again Ozpin frowned, most likely from my lack of interest in the topic. "He is the man who killed your mentor."

My eyes went as wide as dinner plates. I was stuck in a state of anger and shock. I was honestly expecting him to say it was Adam by the way he showed the picture, but it seems that isn't the case. "W-he killed Isaac?" I whispered still in state of shock, I was still loud enough for Ozpin to hear me. "Yes, you see Isaac was a messenger for us. He promised that he would help keep us informed on the fang on one condition. That we keep the fang off him so he could take care of a lost child."

For a second time my eyes went wide as I starred at him. I had no idea he was involved with the hunters let alone Ozpin. "He never spoke of working with you." Ozpin took a sip from his mug and placed it on his desk. "It was probably to protect you. He might have thought that is you knew he was working with us, you might try to do something." My shock soon turned to anger as my eyes focused on the picture of Hayden again. I memorized every little crack and scratch in his mask and implanted it into my brain.

Soon after I stood and pounded my fist of the desk. "I'm going to kill that bastard with my own two hands." I growled at Ozpin causing him to fold his hands in front of his face. "I won't allow you to go alone." I was about to yell at him but stopped and thought on his words. "wait, you're going to let me go after him?" I furrowed my brow not in anger but in curiosity. "Well in a manner of speaking. I have a mission that will be based around a area the fang is currently occupying." I was taken back by his answer. I was honestly expecting him to say no.

"As I said before, you will not be alone. This mission requires multiple people to complete. I will message you tomorrow when a team accepts the mission but for now you must promise me you will focus on the mission first before anything with the white fang." I slouched my shoulders and calmed down then nodded. Ozpin smiled slightly and turned towards the city. "I will send you any information I have on Hayden, but I'm not the one who sent it to you." I nodded and understood what he meant.

I turned and headed towards the elevator. "Oh and Jaune." I stopped and turned to look at him. A frown was now present on his features. "Please be careful, we have lost enough strong huntsman, do not join them." I nodded and stepped into the elevator. I watched as Ozpin turned back towards the city as the doors closed.

 **Beacon Library: 5 minutes later**

I slid out one of the chairs and sat down. Luckily no one was in the library at midnight, which means I have even more privacy to dwell on my books. I had grabbed any books I could find on pre-Vale events or on the older families. Before I dove into the books, I reached for my scroll and opened up the file Ozpin had sent. I scrolled through the text that had no details until I stumbled upon survivor reports. Surprisingly there was only three. Either this guy was barely encountered or he was just that good at killing people.

One report stated that he could "pass right through attacks unharmed" then attack a moment later. They said he used chains and daggers as his main weapons and was extremely skilled with them. Another report said he was seen controlling other soldiers against their will. I leaned against the chair and rubbed my face. If this guy was as tough as they said, it might be a challenge.

I opened up one of the history books and started to read. I started off with how the sentinels stopped the Grimm from destroying anything they built. At one time, the families worked together and combined their separate powers. As I kept reading the book kept mentioning Joshua Arc, the same one from my meditation session.

It said that when the first city was finished, he would go out into the wilderness with his troops and kill any Grimm that threatened the city. After a few years of this he eventually started to get darker and talk less. He became harsh and angry after every death of a comrade. it got to the point where he stopped talking to anyone, instead he would stay in his armor and stalk the Grimm.

Reports showed that loud roars would echo from the forests at night followed by large flames erupting from the trees. Eventually he stopped showing up completely. The last known sighting was when he ventured off into a cavern that housed a very strong Grimm that rarely ever came out into the light. Many soldiers were killed by the beast, some being friends of Joshua's.

I thought back to what he said about controlling your emotions when using Instinct. About how they can control you and change you. 'Maybe he was talking out of self experience' I thought as I closed the large book. As I placed the large book back into its place the doors swung open to the library. I looked over and saw Blake walking towards the back of the building. Before she disappeared around the corner she glanced over to me. I held her gaze for a second before walking towards the door.

I looked to the clock on the wall and saw it was almost six in the morning. 'I can't believe I was in their for that long...' I thought as I headed towards the cafeteria. After staying up all night, I had worked up quite the apatite.

After sitting down with my food I noticed that there wasn't that many other students in the hall. I pulled out my scroll to see it was six thirty. 'Oh right, these people aren't used to waking up at five on the dot everyday.' I thought as I started on my bowl of oatmeal. It had been two years of constant moving. Same process everyday, wake up and walk for a few hours then stop to eat. Walk until night fell then sleep and then repeat the process until the next town.

I felt the table shift slightly as someone sat down. I slowly looked up to see Pyrrha sitting across from me with a smile on her face. I rose my eyebrow in a questioning manner as I continued to eat. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here, its just that I don't know anyone else in here besides you." She slouched slightly under my gaze. I shrugged and swallowed. "I don't mind, the silence was getting to me anyway." She perked up and started to eat her food.

After a few minuted she spoke up again. "Has Ozpin decided on a team for you yet?" I shook my head in response. "No, I never worked with a team since I never went to a combat school. He just decided that it would be better for me if I stayed alone." She tilted her head slightly and furrowed her brow. "You didn't go to a combat school? Wow, I don't think I've seen someone so skilled without being trained at a school." I finished my food and placed my spoon down and folded my arms. "Did you train yourself?" I shook my head. "No I had help from someone very special."

"Was it someone in your family or a hunter?" I looked away from her and frowned slightly. "I'd, rather not talk about it." From the corner of my eye I could see her bite her lip. "I'm sorry if I seem like I'm prying into your past." I shook my head, knocking away any bad thoughts and focused on her. "Anyways, where did you go to school? I haven't heard anything about you yet." she slouched slightly and started to play with her food. "I came from Mistral and was top of my class." I leaned back nodded. "Mistral huh? I heard everyone there is a hard ass."

She laughed slightly and looked back to me. "Not everyone is like that, they are that way just so we can be strong." Before she could continue the same guy from earlier sat down next to her and smiled while nudging her shoulder. "Yeah, I mean you don't win four tournaments by being nice." I raised an eyebrow. "Four tournaments huh? I would say that's impressive but I haven't seen you fight yet. Those opponents could have been weak for all I know." Her partner furrowed his brow at me and clenched his fists. "Hey did you just say my partner was weak?" I laughed on the inside and continued.

"Not exactly, I just said that her opponents could have been weak. I don't judge someone off of what they did in the past, only the present. But hey if you want to say I called her weak, then by all means go ahead." He stood up from his chair and pointed a finger at me. Before he said anything Pyrrha grabbed his arm and shook her head. "Reagan stop." Reagan turned to look at her and dropped his glare. He then sat down and mumbled something under his breath. Pyrrha looked back at me and held a serious look. "Sorry about him, he can be a little over protective."

I just shrugged and smiled slightly. "Nah its fine, I was edging him on anyway." I shifted in my chair and pulled out my scroll to look at the time. "Ya know Pyrrha, after hearing about your accomplishments, I was thinking we should have a battle sometime. See if you can uphold your titles." I watched as she looked unsure for a moment then smiled. "I would love to have a friendly battle with you." I reached out my hand for her too shake. When she did I could see Reagan give me a dirty look then glance away when I looked to him.

"You don't have a problem with me borrowing your partner for a while do you Reagan?" He turned and opened his mouth to say something but stopped after he say Pyrrha giving him and "Say yes" look. "Yeah its cool." He didn't sound too sure about his answer which caused me to smile slightly.

Reagan's scroll rang silencing everyone at our table. He pulled it out and read the message then looked to Pyrrha. "Ozpin wants us in his office, could you message Ren and Nora and tell them?" I watched as Pyrrha nodded and stood up grabbing her tray. Before walking away she turned to me and smiled. "Don't forget about our match." I smiled and nodded as she walked away.

 **30 minutes later, beacon tower**

As the elevator doors closed I pulled out my scroll and opened up Ozpin's message. A few simple words appeared as it opened, "The team is chosen". I lulled over the message for a moment thinking about which team it might be. I was hoping it wasn't some shitty team like Cardin's. A chill went down my spine when I thought about having to work with them. I'd have to be watching my back the entire time. But then again, I don't think Ozpin would even think of them worthy.

A feeling of dread and relief washed over me as the doors opened to Ozpin's office. Relief because I don't have to work with Cardin, dread because a new enemy was on the team. All heads in the room turned to me as I stepped out into the room. Pyrrha smiled at me which I returned, Reagan scowled at me then rolled his eyes. I expected as much from him. One of the other teammates grinned and waved at me energetically while the male standing next to her just nodded and turned back to Ozpin.

"Ah Jaune, glad to see you here. Now I can brief you all on the full mission." Reagan crossed his arms and frowned at Ozpin. "You didn't say HE was the extra coming along." Ozpin tilted his head and gave a confused look. "You've already made a enemy Jaune?" I walked up next to Reagan and shrugged. "Whoops." Ozpin chuckled lightly and turned towards the screen behind him. I saw Reagan out of the corner of my eye give me a dirty look then look forward.

"This mission will last at most four days, two of those four days will be getting to your destination. You will be dropped off at the edge of the emerald forest and continue on through the dark wood path." A image of a large ravine appeared. Said cavern was pitch black and was shielded by trees on the rim. "This is where we expect a high level Grimm to be hiding. Your mission is to scout out the ravine and gain any information of its whereabouts."

The screen shifted to a new picture of a white fang base barely visible through the canopy of trees. "About a mile from the ravine is a white fang base, if possible you are to scout this base and get any pictures of its defense for Atlus. This is not as important as the Grimm though, that must be done first. This base is also housing one of Adam's most highly regarded lieutenants. " Hayden's image appeared on screen. I slightly scowled at the picture of his mask staring at the camera. " Remember, this is only a side mission." A image of a large clearing showed up next. "This is the extraction point. After your scouting is done, this where you will meet to be taken back here for debriefing, understood?" We all nodded simultaneously as Ozpin tapped on his scroll. "I have sent you all the information included with a map of your route."

Pyrrha stepped forward and folded her arms behind her back. "When do we leave?" Ozpin smiled and sat down at his desk. "When ever you are ready, but please do try to leave before ten, it takes a few hours to get there. You don't want to lose out on precious daylight. Supplies for the trip are already prepped. All you need is your weapons and what ever you want to carry. You are dismissed." Pyrrha turned to us and nodded. "I saw we meet there in thirty minutes or so, is that enough time for everyone?" I nodded as well as her team. Reagan smiled and tilted his head towards me. "Let's hope Jaune isn't late though. For all we know he could hold us back." Before anyone could say anything Ozpin spoke up with a unpleasant tone.

"Mr. Quill please show respect for Jaune here, you will need him to trek through some parts of the forest." Reagan turned to Ozpin and frowned. "Why do I need him? we have Pyrrha and Ren who are both excellent at reading maps." I stepped forward and folded my arms. "But I doubt they have ever lived there." He turned to me and rose and eyebrow. I just held a cold gaze as he tried to get anything else. eventually he let out a sigh and walked to the elevator.

As I turned to leave Ozpin tapped his cane getting my attention. "Jaune can you stay for a moment?" I nodded to Pyrrha and walked to his desk. He had a focused look in his eyes as they locked with mine. As soon as the elevator doors closed he spoke. "Jaune I saw the look in your eyes when Hayden's picture came up. I know you aren't stupid enough to get your team hurt, but you must fight your urges to go after him, alright?" I bit my lip and nodded. He let loose a sigh and leaned back in his chair. "You must listen to me, I've seen what he can do. Please be careful for their sake." I turned to the elevator and stopped at the door. "I wont let them down professor, this is too important." And with that I entered the elevator and hit the button.

 **30 minutes later**

I placed my backpack down next to me as I sat down on the seat. I watched as the rest of my "team" entered and took their places. I made sure to sit off by myself so I could get some peace and quiet. Pyrrha made and attempt to come sit by me but it was stopped when Reagan called her over. I was both happy and sad. While I wanted to be alone I couldn't help but feel attracted to her. It felt as if she actually cared about me and wanted to help, but then the small voice would always come back and say she was just faking it.

After about an hour or so of trying to fall asleep I finally gave up and stared out the window. Most of the things I could see was just trees and birds flying by which didn't help my stomach. I groaned and leaned my head back against the seat and tried to fight down the feeling of nausea. Luckily I was able to push it down and my body some what relaxed. I even felt my self slipping off into sleep eventually, which was weird considering I was on a bullhead.

 **Chapter end**

Hello everyone. Sorry for the short chapter, it was mostly all filler and was pretty challenging to write. When there isn't anything happening and its mostly dialog, it gets just as boring to write as it is to read. But fear not, next chapter will be much longer and be more exciting (I hope). New story arc ho!

Yukas out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey oh! I'm back and this story has officially reached 100 followers. I know it doesn't sound like a lot but holy crap that's a lot for me! In 5/6 chapters none the less! I want to thank everyone who has followed/Favorited and reviewed my story! Like I said before it means a lot to me to see how much people actually like this story! Okay getting into mushy stuff, so I'ma stop before I bore you all.**

 **On another note, I was throwing around ideas in my head for how I want the story to go and while I was doing that and thinking of different things that will happen, I imagined a certain arc of the story going differently in where Jaune turns...Evil. And by evil I mean he goes completely insane and ya know, evil stuff.**

 **I think I will do it as a spin off story (If you guys want it). If you peoples do want it, then I'll start to write it in tandem with this one. Please send me your thoughts cuz it would really help me out and it helps me know what you all want! Even if you don't want it tell me so I know to focus on this one still. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, much longer this time.**

 **Chapter 6: Camping**

My eyes slowly fluttered open as I sat up. At first I thought we were still flying, but with a look out the window told me other wise. We were in fact on the ground, but not in the way I was hoping. I unbuckled the straps on my seat and stood up stretching out my muscles. I reached down and grabbed Ember from its place next to me and headed towards the door of the bullhead. As I made my way towards the door, I noticed that no one else was in the ship with me. No gear or anything.

I slowly pushed open the door causing it to fall of its hinges and crash down to the ground. I stepped out and realized that we had crashed in a open field. After taking a few more steps away from the bullhead I noticed green cloth laying on the ground next to a pool of blood. As I approached a new noise filled my ears that sounded like...growling?

I rounded the wing of the bullhead to see Pyrrha's green teammate lying on the ground as a Beowolf tore his flesh from his body. I immediately pulled Ember from its sheathe and stabbed the beowolves head. After I yanked my blade free, the wound in its skull slowly healed as it stood to full height and growled. I Extended the rest of my blade and rushed forward. After slicing off the wolf's arms and legs I turned to see more come from the trees. One was holding the red head in its mouth as it approached.

I pulled my pistol from its holster and fired a volley of rounds at the beast. Each shot hit its mark, but in the end the wounds just healed. I groaned and dodged under a swipe from a Ursa then sliced its head off. Again my efforts were fruitless as a new head grew in place of the older one. A pained scream came from behind me as the sound of a tree falling over sounded through the clearing. I spun on my heel to see Reagan crushed under the tree, helpless as Grimm slowly closed around him.

I aimed my pistol forward and tried to fire at a beowolf, my effort was quickly stopped as black vines rose from the ground and pulled my arm down towards my body. I looked down to see more of the black vines slowly crawling up my legs and start to pull my to my knees. I struggled to keep my head up as the vines slowly wrapped around my neck and chin pulling down my head. A low growl sounded in front of me followed my the sound of large paws connecting with the ground.

The beasts breathe rustled my hair as it slowly lowered its large head near mine. Dark red eyes stared into mine as I struggled to get air into my lungs since the vines were practically strangling me. The Beowolf slowly moved its right arm into view. In its clutches was Pyrrha, struggling to get free from its grip. Again I tried to move my arms but the only thing I got was pain shooting through my body. The wolf slowly turned its head to Pyrrha and smiled. "Another one dead because you are weak, Arc."

Its voice boomed through the clearing followed by a maniacal laugh. I tried to speak to the beast, ask what it meant but when I opened my mouth the vines slowly wrapped around my mouth forming a black mask. The wolf turned to me again and grunted. "Soon you will learn of how strong you can be, you just need to embrace it." It slowly started to squeeze Pyrrha causing her to groan in pain. Her bright emerald eyes looked down to me, tears pooling in the corners of them. "Jaune, what does it mean? How can you get stronger?" The wolf laughed again and brought her close to its muzzle.

"He just needs to accept who he is and use his hate for power, it is his greatest emotion after all." I yelled out as it started to squeeze the life out of Pyrrha but the only thing that came out of a muffled sound. I closed my eyes and activated Instinct. When I did I felt a rush of power flow through my body. My eyes shot open as a white light erupted from my body. The last thing I heard was the laugh of the wolf as the light faded into darkness.

My eyes shot open as I sat forward painting in a cold sweat. I quickly looked out the window to see we were still in the air. I sat back and rubbed my eyes with my hands releasing a sigh. Soon after Pyrrha came over and sat in front of me. She had a concerned look on her face as she tapped my arm. "Jaune, are you okay? I heard you mumbling in your sleep, plus you are drenched in sweat." I hesitantly nodded and wiped my forehead with my sleeve. "Yeah I'm good, just a bad dream is all." From the look on her face I could tell she didn't believe me but before she could say anything else the loud speaker on the bullhead crackled to life. "ETA five minutes till drop zone, get your supplies ready."

Pyrrha stood and gave me one final look before heading back to her seat. I watched for a moment before grabbing my backpack and sliding it onto my back. I grabbed Ember and slid it into place on my waist and slid my shield onto my arm as I walked to the door of the plane. I placed my hand on the railing and leaned towards the window to look out. After a little while Pyrrha's green teammate walked over next to me and looked out. I slowly looked over to him and rose a eyebrow. He noticed my gaze and turned to me. "I'm Ren by the way. My partner over their is Nora." He motioned over to the red head in question who was currently talking Reagan's ear off. I turned back to Ren and nodded.

"Nice to meet you Ren, I take it she is a handful?" Ren sighed and nodded. "Yes, but you get used to it." I laughed slightly and looked back out the window. After a few moments of awkward silence I decided to break the god awful thing. "Look I know this is random but does Reagan have a problem with me or something?" Ren crossed his arms and sighed. "He is very protective, and when he sees a threat he goes into a defensive state which usually means attacking said threat until it isn't a threat anymore."

I gave him a annoyed expression and sighed. "So he thinks I'm going to hurt his partner?" Ren shrugged and looked over to his team. "More like steal her from him." Again I gave him a annoyed expression and laughed then shook my head. "Wow, that sounds extremely childish." Ren nodded and walked back to his team. 'Great, he is jealous that she talks to other guys.' I thought as the bullhead lowered to the ground.

I stepped out onto the grassy field and took a few steps away from the bullhead before bulling out my scroll. I opened up the map data and scrolled over the location. Luckily, Ozpin decided to give up a exact route of how to get to the ravine. That would definitely make things way easier. Pyrrha walked over to me as the bullhead slowly lifted off the ground and took off. She peered over my shoulder and hummed. "So is that the ravine?" She pointed to the screen as I nodded. "Yep, we have to go north for a while." She chewed on her lip then turned to me. "Are you okay with leading to the ravine?" I pocketed my scroll and nodded.

She turned back to her team and placed her arms at her sides. "Alright guys, Jaune is going to lead us to the ravine since he knows this area, so just stick close to him and we will get their a lot faster alright?" Nora smiled and nodded followed by Ren. Reagan crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Hey Jaune, try to not get us lost okay? I want to be back before next month." I only heard the beginning as I started to walk away. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren followed me as Reagan sat out in the open. After he opened his eyes finally he rushed forward and caught up with us. "Hey what the heck why did you leave me back there?"

I turned my head frowned. "We can't afford to lose daylight, Grimm get dangerous out here at night so we need all the time we need." I turned back to the path and let out a sigh. 'Oum this guy is annoying.'

As we walked Nora started to play I spy with everyone. Like the outcast I am I decided to keep ahead of them to risk not being brought in to their game. If they were going to goof off, then someone needed to keep watch, I was used to being left alone anyways. Anytime they tried to call on me I just blew them off which earned a groan from Nora each time. Then she would complain about how I don't talk a lot like Ren. Meh, fine by me.

After a while they stopped and the group fell into silence for the first time. It was nice, being able to hear nature and not be attacked by Grimm. Unfortunately the peaceful silence was broken by Reagan. "So Jaune, when do you plan on setting up camp? Its getting pretty dark..." I looked up to the sky and then back down to the path. "There is a river up ahead that we will stop at and make camp. It's only a little further."

Pyrrha spoke up next and caught up with me. "So you said you lived out here?" I nodded and pointed ahead. "Yeah, a town used to be up ahead that I lived by with my mentor." She tilted her head slightly. "You didn't live in the town?" I shook my head and frowned slightly. "No, my mentor didn't like big settlements." I wanted to tell her the real reason, but I had no idea how she would react. Soon after the sound of rushing water filled my ears as a bridge started to come into view.

I made my way to the bank of the river and looked around. After finding a small dry patch close to the river I walked back up to the rest of the group. "Alright, we already have most of the stuff we need, but something we do need is firewood. I can get the wood while you guys set up camp, if that's alright." I waited for anyone to speak up before walking off into the trees.

When I returned they had already set up the tents and a fire pit, I set down the few logs I had collected and let out a sigh of relief knowing I wasn't working with idiots. One of the tents opened to reveal Pyrrha still in her gear. She slowly stepped out and zipped the tent closed again. "Will this wood last us the night?" I bent down and started to make a pit with various rocks. "Yeah it should, if not one of us could grab more." She started to help me build the pit as Ren stepped out of his tent and looked to the pit.

"We should probably set up a night watch." I nodded and dusted my hands off after standing up. "I don't need that much sleep so I can go later." Pyrrha nodded and placed a few logs into the pit. "I can go last if that's okay with you." Ren went back into his tent and informed Nora of our plan. Pyrrha lit the fire with some fire dust and looked to me. "We only have enough sleeping supplies for a single team, I can give you my sleeping bag if you want." I shook my head and grinned. "Its fine, I'm sure I can find comfort in one of these trees."

She nodded and went into her tent, before closing it she gave me one final glance before zipping it closed. Soon after Ren came out and handed me my pack. "If you need anything, we'll be right here." I nodded and grabbed my pack then headed towards the trees. After finding a nice tall tree I climbed about a quarter of the way up then set up on a branch. I placed my pack against the tree as I leaned against it. Luckily I could see the camp from where I was sitting, that meant I could see if anything was wrong.

For some reason I felt obligated to watch over them. Maybe it was Ozpin rubbing off on me or it was my subconscious keeping me away from the nightmare I had. I started to eat my fill as the nightmare replayed in my head. The voice from before was there, but this time it was in the voice of the Beowolf. Instead of being small and distant it was now threatening. I was definitely tied to my Instinct and how I must control my emotions. The longer I thought about tit the faster I dosed off until I fell asleep.

I awoke to the smell of smoke and my nose stinging. My eyes slowly opened to see the forest around me on fire. Trees were burnt black as the fire raged around me. I heard a low crack as the branch I was standing on snapped and bend under my weight. Soon after the branch broke completely sending me barreling to the forest floor. I spun mid drop and landed with a roll. Ember clattered next to me as it impacted with the ground. Unfortunately, my shield was no where to be found. As I grabbed Ember I activated Instinct to try and find anyone through the flames.

After a few glances around I found a slight glimmer through the fire, I rushed towards it jumping over bushes and logs that were blackened from the flames. The closer I got to the aura the faster it faded until it was completely gone without a trace. A low growl filled my ears as a Beowolf emerged through a burning bush and rushed me. As it jumped forward to bite I spun and slashed its neck causing blood to splatter across the landscape. I watched as the beast slowly stopped struggling and died, soon after two more wolves jumped from the flames and starred at me then at their dead companion.

The first one snarled then turned to me and slowly started to circle me. Its jaws moved as if it was talking but the only thing I heard was a series of low growls. Eventually it charged me from behind with a loud snarl and lunged with its paw extended at my head. I spun and ducked under the paw and slid Ember into its rib cage. Blood dripped from its jaws as it slumped against my shoulder.

The other Beowolf slumped to the ground and hung its head as tears dripped from its eyes. I blinked a few times until the wolf started to turn into a familiar figure. My eyes went wide as I realized it was Nora crying next to a bleeding out Ren. I slowly looked over to the body on my shoulder to see Reagan slouched against me. The life in his eyes were gone as he slide off of my sword. I took a step toward Nora and reached my hand out. "Nora, I didn't mean to!" Her head slowly turned to me, fear and anger flooded her eyes. "You monster... Get away!" I recoiled away from her when she yelled at me.

Soon after Pyrrha appeared through some bushes and immediately brought her hand up to her mouth when she spotted her dead team. Her gaze slowly moved to me as her brows furrowed. She brought her hand away from her mouth and pulled out her sword and shield. "How could you!? We trusted you!" She rushed at me and swung vertically at my head. I blocked with Ember but failed to stopped to stop her shield from impacting my stomach. The hit made me double over and fall to my knees. Another swift strike hit my side making me roll away from her covering me in ash.

I slowly brought my head up to see the same giant Beowolf standing behind Nora. A huge grin plastered across its muzzle. "You see what will happen if they find out about you Jaune, no longer will they trust you and instead, think of you as a monster. Something that is meant to be avoided or even... Killed..." The beast started to laugh maniacally then bring up its claw like fingers. It snapped two fingers together causing black flames to appear at its finger tips. "With my power you flames will be inextinguishable. You will be untouchable! But first you must control your flames, that is stage two..."

My eyes shot open as I nearly fell off the branch I was sleeping on. I let out a sigh and rub my forehead clean of the droplets of sweat. I looked down towards the forest floor after a small rock impacted my side. When I looked I saw a tired looking Nora standing below. She smiled and pointed to the camp then walked back. I grabbed my things and slid down the trunk to the floor. As I walked back the images of my nightmare flashed in my mind. It felt so real in the dream, and then it was over just like that.

I sat down on a nearby log and starred out into the dark forest. Could the nightmares be like the meditation I was in earlier? More and more thoughts plagued my mind as I sat. It seemed like the Beowolf that kept appearing was the small voice that appeared when Instinct activated by its self. But now it wasn't just a tiny voice, it was actually showing its purpose in being with me. It took a dark appearance, so maybe it was a combination of my dark emotions and thoughts. That seemed like the only reasonable explanation.

It kept talking about letting it out and use its power, combined with the black flames it must be connected to what Samuel was talking about. But that's the next thing, it said I had to control my flames first. That was the second stage, so the first stage must be the eyes...Right? I shook my head slowly and let out a sigh. It seemed things were lining up but it was still so new to me, what was stage three? Or even stage four? I let out another sigh and hung my head. The faces of Pyrrha's team flashed in my mind again. The look on their faces sent a chill down my spine.

A twig snapped to my right causing me to pulled Ember from its sheathe and brought the point of the blade to the intruders throat. I quickly realized that it was Pyrrha standing in front of my sword. She had a look of surprise on her face as I lowered my blade and sat back down. She let out a breathe and chuckled. "Is that how you say hello?" I turned to see she had a grin on her face instead of a scowl like I was expecting. "Sorry, I've been on edge lately." She sat down next to me and looked up into the trees. After a few minutes of silence she nudged me. "You were supposed to wake me up and hour ago you know." I shrugged in response and looked down at Ember. "I wouldn't have been able to sleep very well, so I thought you should get more sleep... And I kinda forgot."

She giggled lightly and looked down my sword. "Did you make it?" I held it up in the light of the barely lit fire and shook my head. "No, it was a gift from my old mentor. It is my greatest memory of him. Well that and he taught me everything I know." Pyrrha folder her hands together and tilted her head. "Did you live out here with him?" I nodded and ran my finger along the edge of the sword. "Yes, he took me in after I was abandoned by my family." The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized it. I inwardly sighed when she gasped and brought a hand to her mouth.

"Your family abandoned you? Why would they do that?" I slid Ember into its sheathe and looked down at the ground. "Its a long story, maybe for when we are not in a forest full of Grimm." She hesitantly nodded and started to draw circles in the dirt with a stick. "Have you heard of John Arc?" I slowly looked to her and squinted slightly, my first thought was that she had just guessed that I was his son. "Yeah, why do you ask?" She continued to draw circles as she talked. "The mission details says that he is investigating the white fang and that he is spearheading any operation against their bases."

I let loose a sigh after hearing that. Luckily she didn't guess that, with the right facts it wouldn't be too hard to guess, hell if we were standing next to each other you could probably tell. "He has been successful in every raid, some say he was never touched. He is quite the skilled fighter." I rolled my eyes and bit my lip. Its always about him. "Is he going to be taking out this base we are supposed to investigate?" She nodded and tossed the stick away. "Yep, after we leave a full raid will be set to take out Hayden." I bit my lip harder thinking about him killing Hayden and not me. I deserve that revenge more than anyone else, and I'm not going to let some old man get in my way.

I noticed the sun was starting to appear over the tops of the trees, Pyrrha noticed too and stood up. "Well I think its time to get everyone up, you work on the fire I can get everyone else." I nodded and walked to the fire then started to pour dirt onto the embers. After about ten minutes everyone was up and packing their things.

After everyone was finished packing we headed across the bridge and along the path. As we walked I noticed old stone along the path leading off into hills. I stopped and pulled out my scroll's map. I looked over the map a few times before placing it back into my pack. I turned to the group and pointed to the stone path. "We are going to take a slight detour, this path will get us to the town quicker, that and its less likely we will encounter Grimm. The town is said to have large amounts of Grimm patrolling around the main roads. This path will let us cut through a thicket and right to the town. Stay close and don't get lost." I turned and started down the path as they followed me.

After walking through bushes and trees we finally came upon a large hill. As I climbed it I couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. When I got to the top I let out a breath and looked over the destroyed town. I noticed that the town square was still destroyed and left alone from two years ago. A frown slowly made its way across my features as I stared at the broken town. "Right back at the beginning..." I whispered to no one. Pyrrha walked up next to me and tapped my arm. "You okay?" I nodded and bit my lip. "Yeah, just old memories..." I trailed off as a few Beowolves came into view down on the streets. I turned to the rest of the group and let out a sigh. "Stay close to me and call out if you get lost, we aren't going to be here long."

 **Chapter end**

Okay so about halfway through this chapter I couldn't figure out how to write some parts, so please forgive me if it seemed... rushed? Anyway somehow I got this out with the idea I had in mind so yeah! Please tell me about what you think in the AN above, as well as tell me if you are liking the story or if there is anything wrong, hey even tell me your ideas/thoughts. I read every review so please keep em coming!

P.S. The length of the chapters will depend on how much I want included in the chapter, so there is no set amount of words, if anyone was wondering

Yukas out


	8. Chapter 8

I'm **back, hope y'all enjoy the chapter. PM or review if you wanna leave your thoughts.**

 **Chapter 7: Exploration**

As I walked down the broken path memories invaded my mind. Memories of a time where everything was perfect and peaceful, a time where I wasn't on my own. I felt Instinct activate involuntarily as I stared at the towns smashed gate. Pieces of wood lay across the dirt path, untouched for years. I looked to my right and saw a small dust shop. Soon after looking at the shop I watched as it repaired its self back to the way it was back during that day. A short lady walked out of the door and smiled while looking up at the bright blue sky.

I stopped walking and stared at her face, the features still fresh in my mind. She turned around and flipped a sign then walked into her shop disappearing as the shop returned to its broken state. My eyes and head slowly fell towards the ground as I fought back tears. A hand found its way onto my shoulder, I immediately knew it was Pyrrha by the way she squeezed slightly. I walked forward while keeping my head to the ground not wanting to see anything else appear.

I knew that was inevitable as I approached the center of town. Broken marble and stone lay littered across the road. Faded blood covered the marble steps as I slowly walked to the top. A terrible sight came into view as I peaked the last step. The faded blood soon gained its original color as the dying form of Scar appeared. His cracked mask lay atop his face as blood pooled around his body.

Soon after a younger me ran over and knelled next to him. It felt as if I was re-living the day, each emotion was felt as I stared at the sight. I was helpless as Scar died in my arms, too weak to help. His hand slowly found its way to my face as he unlocked my aura. I closed my eyes as the memory faded, a tear soon slid down my cheek as I bit my lip.

"Hey we got Grimm!" I turned my head to see Beowolves spill out of the alley ways and run towards us. A scowl found its way across my face as I walked towards the beasts. Someone called my name but it was soon lost in the howling of the wolves. I pulled Ember from its sheathe and extended the blade to its full length. The first beast charged with a roar and swung at me with its paw. Everything moved in slow motion as I moved my head to the side to dodge the slow moving claw.

With a flick of my wrist I embedded Ember into its head killing it instantly. The next wolf made its move by trying to bite me, I simply stabbed my blade through its mouth and into its brain. Next I switched into a offhand grip and slashed through another duo of wolves. An Ursa crashed through a wall and roared at me making its presence known. As it charged I brought my shield up and deflected it claw away from my body. My eyes flicked up towards its head as its monstrous jaws came towards me.

I leaned back cut off its lower jaw with Ember. Before it could recover I slid Ember into its throat silencing it. I spun grabbing Ember mid spin and threw it into the chest of another wolf. I quickly pulled my pistol from its holster and fired rounds towards the other beasts around my. I turned just in time to see Pyrrha shoot a wolf next to me. Off in the distance I could see the rest of our group fighting off the other Grimm. A large pink explosion erupted from a nearby building causing it to crumble and crash to the ground. Pyrrha slashed through a Ursa and made her way over to me.

I started to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and soon after the ground started to shake and crack apart. Before I could move a huge stinger came flying from the earth below me sending rubble and dirt flying in all directions. I heard the sound of a whip cracking before I was suddenly hurled through the air and into a large stone pillar cracking it on impact. I brought my shield up just in time to block the second strike, but the force still pushed me through the pillar shattering it into pieces. I tried to recover as I was hurled through the air, but to my dismay I impacted the ground hard on my back before I could.

As my senses came back to me I watched as the rest of the beast emerged from the ground, as it crawled to the surface it sent more cracks along the ground causing pits to form. With a loud roar it fully emerged from the hole giving us a full view of its body. From first glance it seemed like a huge deathstalker, but upon closer inspection you could see that extra armor covered its joints and underbelly. More red markings covered its shell forming spirals and symbols I didn't recognize. Some of its armor was even black with bits of yellow covering it.

With another roar it charged towards me at a frightening speed that shouldn't be possible for a beast that size. Luckily it was intercepted as pink grenades impacted its eyes, giving me the time needed to move out of its path. As I ran I could feel the ground shake from its steps when ever it turned to face one of our group. I slid under another strike from its stinger only to be met with a pincer to my chest, once again sending me into the air. I heard gunfire as it turned to me and roared, completely ignoring the bullets. Again I heard the crack of a whip as the tail came barreling towards me. My instincts kicked into over drive as I spun as best as I could mid air to avoid getting hit by the tail.

Luckily I was able to dodge the brunt of the attack, but I was still cut along my side by the sharp point of the stinger. With a twist of my arm I stabbed Ember into the shell giving me something to hold onto momentarily. This seemed to only annoy the deathstalker as another loud screech erupted from its jaws. I planted my feet on its tail and pushed with all my strength, pulling Ember free while simultaneously giving momentum to get away from the damned thing. I landed on my feet and immediately started to sprint away from the ensuing battle. I turned back to see Ren and Nora taking turns striking at its tail, unfortunately their attacks had little effect on its hard shell.

As I ran I noticed unarmored pieces of skin around its claws and legs. While they were small, it was still a chance. I slid around a corner and let out a breath. Pyrrha and Reagan ran around the same corner and stopped next to me mirroring my actions. I peeked around the corner to see the deathstalker rush down another street and disappear from sight. "How are we gonna beat that thing when its armor is that strong?" I turned to Reagan and Pyrrha and thought for a moment. After a moment I thought of a plan. "Okay, I've got something that could work, but we only got a few chances at it." They both nodded and straightened up. "Okay, I'll be bait so we can get it into a tight space. After I do that, Reagan will need to work on cutting off the pincers. With that huge sword of yours it should be no problem."

I watched as his face turned to a look of confusion. "How? That armor is way too strong!" I let out a sigh and fixed my shield placement. "There is a small patch of unarmored skin right behind the pincer, if you can hit it your sword should slice through it like butter." He blinked a few times then nodded. Pyrrha took a step forward and looked at me. "What can I do?" I thought for a moment and bit my lip. "First you need to tell Ren and Nora that I'm going to lead it into one of the tight streets. After I get it there, you will be with me in front of it making sure Reagan has time to trike at the pincers." She nodded then rushed out the alley.

I followed after her and sprinted to the Grimm off in the distance. As I approached I could see burn marks along its armor where Nora had struck it with her grenades. Fortunately it didn't take long for the beast to notice me because as soon as I got close it was on to me like I was a beacon. At first I slowly started to back up to make sure it was following, but after it started to charge at me full speed I decided running was better.

After ducking through different stores and buildings I finally got it to the road I wanted it to be at. It seemed to notice that the road was smaller too because now it was moving at a much more manageable pace. As It took a step I took one backwards. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Reagan getting ready with his over sized sword. Soon after Pyrrha appeared by my side shield in hand.

We both took turns deflecting the stinger away as the beast slowly crawled its way towards us. After what seemed like forever it finally got into a spot where it could be struck. I watched as the stinger came barreling towards me, soon after I spun to the side letting it crash into the ground sending dirt flying in every direction. Before it could retract its limb I lunged forward and slashed at the edge of the stinger eliciting a screech from the beast as its stinger hung loosely from the rest of the tail. Blood squirted from the wound, dripping off the tail and onto its shell. With a roar Reagan ran from the alley and slashed at the pincer. I watched as the claw fell from the beast and crashed with the floor. I turned to Pyrrha and pointed at the stinger. "Hit the stinger and it will fall on its head!"

She nodded in response and switched her sword into its rifle mode and took aim. After a moment she fired and hit the stinger directly. Soon after it fell from the til and smashed into its own back. I pointed to the stinger and looked to Nora. "You need to hit it with your hammer and finish it off!" She giggled and started to run at me. "Give me a boost!" I crouched down and held my shield up in front of me. I felt her feet impact my shield then boost off as I jumped up to give her max height. She spun mid air and pointed her hammer straight towards the beast. Each eye of the deathstalkers eyes looked up to see her come crashing down on its back.

A loud boom sounded throughout the town as her hammer made contact with the stinger. The legs of the deathstalker gave way letting the rest of the beast crash to the ground with a loud crash. I let out a sigh of relief and sheathed my sword and tried to deactivated Instinct. when I tried my head felt like it was going to explode with pain. I brought my hand up and cupped it over my face. Soon after the small voice grew in my mind until it was the only thing I could focus on. "Yes... You are getting closer..." I grit my teeth as my head started to throb with pain.

Slowly the pain started to die down as I brought my hand away from my face. The voice had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. I slowly opened my eyes to see pyrrha walking towards me with a concerned look on her face. I stood up and blinked a few times before resting my gaze on her. "Jaune are you okay? You seem a little shaken up." I grinned and shook my hand. "Nah I'm fine, just a small headache." I could see the doubt in her eyes, I didn't sound to honest anyways. Maybe she was rubbing off on me.

"I know a place where we can stay for tonight that's close to the ravine. Its not too far from here." She nodded and called to the rest of our group who were watching the corpse of the deathstalker decompose. As I started to walk towards the old tree house I felt a dark presence invade my thoughts. It felt like it was trying to plague my thoughts with darkness. A hand found its way to my shoulder, pulling the darkness away from my mind. I turned to see Pyrrha squinting at me. "Jaune, you seem distracted." I shook my head and looked away. "No I'm just thinking about tomorrow, lets go." I watched as she stared at me for a moment longer then started to walk away. I let out a sigh and followed.

 **A few hours later**

As we approached the tree house I couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. It was weird being back after so long, but it felt good none the less. I pointed to the make-shift ladder at the bottom of the tree house and looked to the group. "That's the entrance to the house, hopefully we wont need a fire tonight since there are candles in the cabinets, that's if it hasn't been looted. I'm going to check the perimeter so make yourselves comfortable." I pulled my shield off my back and started to walk out into the surrounding thicket. As I walked I could feel a set of piercing green eyes watching me closely.

As I walked I saw marks and scratches along the trees from a time long since past. A smile slowly crept along my face as I thought of the memories. I knelt down and ran my fingers across a slash in a nearby tree. I closed my eyes and smiled thinking of a better time. As I opened my eyes a glint of red caught my eyes. At first I thought it was Grimm but as I moved from the tree the light faded. I placed my hand on Ember as I approached the vines. I sucked in a breath before quickly pushing the vines to the side. My eyes went wide as I saw the familiar handle of Isaac's blade.

I slowly walked up to the grave and smiled at seeing the dog tags still hanging from the handle of his sword. I bent down and placed my hand on the hilt and let out the breath I was holding. Again a smile crept across my face as I pulled the tags from their place on the hilt. "I take it you know who this is?" I nearly jumped at the new voice behind me. I turned to see Pyrrha standing by the vines smiling, her bright green eyes glowing in the fading sunlight. I turned back to the blade and nodded. "Yes, he was someone very special to me." She slowly walked next to me and crouched down. "Your mentor?" Again I nodded at the question.

I bit my lip thinking about my next move, knowing how much of a risk it could be. I turned the dog tags over in my hands and wiped some dirt of the name. "Have you ever heard of the white fang member that went by Scar?" I watched as she brought a hand up to he chin thinking. "Yes I remember hearing about him. He deserted the fang and disappeared and was never seen again." I handed her the tags and watched as her eyes went wide with realization. At first I thought she would lash out and try to attack me, but instead she looked to me and squinted slightly.

"I had heard rumors he was still alive after he left the fang, I take it was true then?" I took the tags back and slid the around my neck. "Yep, he was my mentor for a few years after I was dropped from my family. He wasn't a terrible man, he was like the father I always wanted. Caring and respectful. Protected me with his life like I was his son." I bit my lip after I finished and closed my eyes. I felt her hand wrap around my shoulder in a comforting manner. "Most people think that just because he was in the fang he was bad correct?" I nodded and opened my eyes.

She squeezed my shoulder and smiled. "I understand why you want to keep this secret, so I will too." I smiled and stood up while looking down at the sword. "I'm sorry if I seem distant, its just hard to get used to having people who care about you after everything you ever loved was stolen from you twice." She stepped froward and nodded. "I understand Jaune, I know what its like to be judged by your past actions..." I watched as she drew a circle in the dirt with her foot. "You see, I am quite famous for my winnings. Since I'm so famous, I have been put on a pedestal above everyone else so to speak. After a while it gets hard to have people see you on the same level." She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

"I may not have the same loneliness as you, but I know how it is to not have anyone close." She slowly started to frown as I stared at her saddened face. A smile made its way across my lips as I placed my hand on hers. "Thank you for trusting me with this Pyrrha, and if you think its gonna change how I think of you its not. I still see you as the girl who cares for her team and is strong to protect them, not to impress them." I lifted her head up with my finger so I could see into her eyes. A sigh escaped my lips as I was going to throw another risk into the wind. "I can trust you to keep this a secret too right?" She nodded a few times as a worried look came across her face.

"I'm... The son of John Arc, the great hunter. The one who is leader of the mission against the white fang base." Her eyes widened slightly as her brows furrowed. "But, he said his son died for unknown reasons." I chuckled and shook my head. "Nope, he disowned from the Arc family because I wasn't meeting his qualifications. You see, before Scar found me, I was being trained by him to be a huntsman. After a few months he said I could never be strong enough and said to give up. So I ran to prove him wrong, to show him that I can be strong enough to be a huntsman... And here I am." She blinked a few times before smiling and chuckling. "He was the one who gave up. Look how far you have come."

I released her hands and smiled. "Thank you Pyrrha, if you could keep this quiet as long as possible it would be a huge help." She nodded and mimicked my smile. "Of course Jaune, my lips are sealed." I nodded towards the tree house and sighed. "We should get back, they are probably wondering where we are." She nodded and started to walk towards the house with me. "We still need a plan for tomorrow if we want to finish this mission with little trouble." I shrugged and smiled. "Lets just hope it will be quick and easy."

As we walked I noticed black splotches covering the bark of trees. At first they looked liked shadows but on closer inspection it started to look like tar. From where I was standing I could smell how foul it was. It smelled like rotting corpses left out in the sun. I wanted to investigate further but the sun was already setting and it was I was slowly loosing light. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was just something natural out in the world. Or it could be a product of Grimm living nearby, maybe a residue they leave behind.

As I climbed the ladder to the house I noticed more of the black splotches appear on the floor of the forest, most of it was covered by the leaves. It almost looked alive by the way it slowly started to appear on the floor. I decided to leave it alone until tomorrow, if it was still there then I would task myself with asking Ozpin.

I closed the hatch and slid the lock across the handle. What ever that stuff is I don't want it trying to suffocate me in my sleep. I turned and walked towards my bag whist looking around the old house. Most of it looked untouched and close to what it looked like before, besides a few layers of dust. I bent down and opened my pack, after looking through it for a second my hand rested upon something familiar.

Slowly I pulled Isaac's mask up from the bottom of the pack. As it surfaced I felt happy to know it hadn't taken damage during the trip. I ran my thumb over one of the scratches and frowned. "I'll have to get that fixed..." I mumbled to no one. I placed it back into the bag and walked towards the rest of the group. Pyrrha had already sat down and opened up the map on her scroll. As I approached she looked up to me smiled while handing me the scroll.

"So what's the plan boss man?" I looked over to see Nora staring at me with a huge smile on her face. I looked to Ren to see him shrug and shake his head. With a shrug back I looked down to the scroll and started to explain. "First we will have to find a safe way down to avoid any injuries, after that we will scout around to see if we can find anything related to the Grimm, if possible we should stay up high to avoid being cornered by any Grimm." I looked around to see if everyone agreed. After no one asked anything I continued.

"We actually got here faster than expected, our deadline is four days, tomorrow is the third day. So we can take our time on this. The rest we can just decide as we go." I set down the scroll and walked back to my pack. "We should leave early so we have as much light as possible tomorrow. We shouldn't need watch tonight so everyone get their rest." I was answered by a series of nods and 'okay's. I walked over and pressed on my old bed. The thing nearly broke as I pressed down on it. That and it was covered in dust. The other bed didn't look to stable either.

I walked back to my pack and pulled out my rations. After eating my fill I laid down and slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **Chapter end**

Hey everyone, sorry for getting this out a little later than usual. I had internet problems yesterday and Monday so I wasn't able to get anything done. Anyways here it is, I hope you all enjoyed. I was going to make this chapter longer by continuing on to the next day but I felt it would be better to just get this out now. That being said, I'm still debating how long I want the next part in the story to go. I could kinda skip over some things and get to the thing I've had planned for a while, or split up the next part and put more detail into it which means more chapters.

I guess you will all found out next week! If anyone wants to know more about it then review or DM me and give your opinion cuz it would help out a lot.

Yukas, signing off


	9. Chapter 9

**Whoa and update!? I know I know it has been forever since I last gave you all some material, and for that I am truly sorry. I took a break from writing to give myself some time to think up how I want to write out this story. I was planning with a follower (You know who you are ;) and I was given somethings to think about. Next time I go on a little break I will make sure to tell you all. Plus I was just being lazy and putting it off...**

 **Back to the planning, I have thought up multiple ways this story could go, and after A LOT of thinking, that was fun and exhausting, I think I came up with something that is somewhat enjoyable. I sorta mashed everything together and planned it out in my head. I thought of an ending but threw it out the window because, lets be honest, I don't want to end this anytime soon. Too much fun to write!**

 **I'm a little excited to get these next few chapters out. Mainly because I want to hear the feedback of my readers and my little helper. Good or bad comments are appreciated, even if it is only a few of you I still read them all! Just because I don't reply doesn't mean I didn't see it! I get a little happy inside seeing that someone reviewed the story, I should probably stop rambling...**

 **Another thing that came to mind was that if some parts of the story seem a little...Rushed or have less detail it might be because I suck at writing transition parts of a chapter, it just is hard to explain everything that is happening that doesn't really need to be put there. Or if (for example) Jaune is just doing normal things in life it feels repetitive typing out ever little action.**

 **I don't know, it might just be me but what ever. I had a little fun figuring these things out, it feels like forever till I get to write the fun juicy stuff, but chapters like these are needed to move the story along and dammit I won't let it slow me down! (Writers block might...)**

 **Chapter 8: The Ravine**

My eyes slowly opened as the first few sun rays of the day fell upon them. I sat up with a groan, regretting not taking off my armor before going to sleep. I twisted my back releasing a few loud pops and cracks followed by a satisfied sigh. I looked around the room with a sense of nostalgia. It felt as if everything that had happened in the last two years never happened. I looked towards the hatch as it opened. For a moment I expected Isaac to crawl through with supplies he gathered like he did every morning. A small smile came to my face when a gloved hand reached up grasped the wood. The smile soon disappeared after Reagan pulled himself up and looked to me. "What? Did I do something wrong?" He sounded slightly annoyed, the expression on his face helped that.

I shook my head and looked down to Ember laying at my side. It had been so long since any of these thoughts had come to mind. I was too focused on getting revenge that I never reflected on his teachings. A certain memory surfaced as I closed my eyes. I remember the day like it was yesterday, it was the day after I had tried to fight Isaac out of the blue, because I was feeling extra confident. That confidence only brought me bruises and cuts, and another loss under my belt.

I watched as he entered my room and pulled a chair over. As he sat down next to me he pulled out a pair of dog tags that were untouched. He held them up in front of me and dangled them. "These will be yours, after you become strong enough to defeat an Ursa on your own, and when I'm not lazy enough to actually engrave them." His words earned a small but rare chuckle from his. He stared at the dog tags for a moment before sliding them onto my desk with a sigh. He turned back to me and stared right into my eyes. "Jaune you must listen and remember this lesson because it will get you through life. Choose your battles carefully, if you rush in to a fight without preparations, then it could mean the end for you."

He stood up and looked over to my now broken sword and cracked shield. "Another thing, know when you are beaten. A man's pride is his most valued weapon yes, but if you are fighting a opponent that is too strong, always have a escape plan. Its better to live to fight another day than die with no purpose." He walked towards me and flicked my forehead. "You are lucky I'm merciful." I giggled and rubbed the spot where he flicked me.

I opened my eyes as a smile spread across my face. I slid Ember from its sheathe to see my own smiling reflection. It had been so long since I had seen a genuine smile on my face. Not a forced one used on strangers or to show that I am okay, it was actual happiness. I slid Ember back into its home and walked towards Isaac's old room. I pushed the door open with a low creak. My eyes flicked around the room until they landed on a something shining in the sun light. I walked over and slowly pulled the old dog tags up to my eyes. They slowly spun to reveal that nothing had been carved into them yet.

I let out a sigh and slid them into my pocket. "Even after all that time, he still didn't carve them..." I walked out of the room and slowly closed the door. As I went to leave the handle broke off in my hand. I looked to the handle and then to the door with a annoyed expression. I looked around the room and spotted Pyrrha giggling into her hands. I tossed the handle away and folded my arms. "Well what did you expect from a house that hasn't been looked after for two years huh?" She giggled again and brought a finger up to her chin in thought. "Well, I expected just what I saw you do. I'm just glad it wasn't me." She put on a bright smile and stared at me. I couldn't help but shake my head and smile back.

I took a step towards my bag only for the piece of wood below me to snap causing me to sink slightly into the floor. Again I heard Pyrrha giggle at my misfortune. I fixed a serious glare her way but it held no anger. With a grunt I pulled my foot free and walked to my bag and weapons. As I slid my bag and shield onto my back the trap door opened. Reagan's head popped up followed by a sigh. "When are we going to leave? Its boring standing around out here." I clipped Ember to my waist and turned to him. "I'm ready when everyone else is." He looked to Pyrrha who nodded. "Well let's go then." I looked to Pyrrha to receive shrug.

As I climbed down the tree I noticed that all of the black like puddles had disappeared from the night before. I could have sworn it was there, unless sleep deprivation was playing tricks on my mind. When I got to the bottom I circled the tree to see if it had any marks or signs that something had been sitting on it. After a few revolutions around I came to the conclusion that it was just my imagination. It looked real though, almost as if it was alive. Before I could dwell on the mater further I was called over by Reagan.

When I reached the tree line I slowed down and looked back to the tree house. I made sure to remember what it looked like this time, the next time I come here it might not be recognizable. With a sigh I turned from the house and followed the group. My scroll buzzed as Nora started another one of her "Exciting" adventures. I pulled out the device and swiped open the lock. To my surprise the message was from Ozpin regarding the next part of our mission. I started to chew on my lip as I read through the information.

From what it sounded like, this Grimm was something for more experienced huntsman. In the few sightings of the beast, it was stated that it had destroyed multiple towns and traveling merchants. I scrolled down to see a picture of the beast during a attack. It must have stood at least two stories high, that or the buildings were just really small. From what I could tell, the beast looked like a giant fox that stood on its hind legs. Its hands had five fingers and long sharp white claws. It had matching white teeth accompanied by glowing green eyes. Its fur was tinted slightly orange with hints of red streaks. From the few pictures I was given I could see that it had long tails. Not just one, but the number seemed to increase with each time it was spotted.

As I read through the reports on the beast I became more and more surprised at how strong it sounded. A few soldiers reported that it seemed to be leading nearby Beowolves and calculating different attacks. All most like it had planned on how the people would react. Another report stated that each time it fled, it would take wounded soldiers with it. But when they followed the beast to its hide out, traces of the bodies was never found. They just concluded that it had eaten them whole. I cringed slightly thinking about that. A Grimm that takes humans and eats them whole, a very bad thought especially since we are to be looking for this thing.

More reports stated that it would destroy villages with other Grimm in tow, then disperse them as soon as it was finished. It seemed as if they were under some kind of control. Then when it didn't need them anymore it just let them go free. I read further to see that the beast was called the tailed beast, or demon fox. I sighed when I read the names, I could definitely tell how it got the name.

Another message popped up, this time regarding the area of the mission. It said that the ground had recently become unstable in some areas from earthquakes and could collapse under too much weight. It also stated that our mission is to observe the area and to not attack the beast directly. I sighed in relief, I was hoping we wouldn't have to fight this monster by our selves.

As I was about to close the scroll ANOTHER message came through. This time it was directed towards me and was a voice message. I started the message and held it up to my ear. At first it sounded like static until the sound of a someone walking on glass came through. "Jaune, I just wanted to inform you about the white fang base. I would have typed this out, but it is easier to just tell you. Recently the base has had troubles with Grimm in the area so their defenses are at high alert and could be very dangerous if you get close. If you do end up going there, be aware that Hayden is a very skilled assassin, do not engage alone. Even with your full team he might still be too strong."

I slowly lowered my scroll as a scowl came across my face. I hadn't even thought about getting into the base. It was going to be much more difficult if they were being attacked by Grimm. But maybe that could be an advantage. If I were to use the Grimm to distract them, then I could slip in and take out Hayden. A smile spread across my face as I thought about that. I had my chance at revenge, and I wasn't going to let that slip away. I felt the pang of something in the back of my head, but I ignored it. Could just be a headache or something.

"So, have you guys heard about that white fang base that got taken out a few days ago by Atlas?" I looked up to see Reagan looking towards Pyrrha with a smile on his face. "Apparently, they have a special task force made from skilled huntsman that is tasked with taking out the fang across the kingdoms. I heard that they have almost completely cleared out every faction surrounding Vale!" Reagan shook his head and chuckled. "I heard that it was being led by John Arc, the one from the legendary Arc family. Apparently he had never be touched by an opponent. Sounds like he is invincible." I scowled slightly at the mention of my father. I had saved a special place in my heart for that man.

Not a place of love, but a place of hate for what he had done to me. But I must admit, without him I would have never become this strong. Even if he had to basically kick me from the Arc name. Names don't matter though, actions speak louder than words.

As Reagan continued to boast I caught the sight of Pyrrha. She had a look of worry on her features. After a moment of eye contact, she looked away towards the path. It felt weird to have someone looking out for you like she did, not out pity or anything. It seemed like she genuinely cared for me. I guess I wasn't used to it after all, it had been years since I had a conversation like the one we had the night before. Maybe I was finally breaking out of my lonely shell.

* * *

As we approached the ravine I could feel how soft the ground was. It was almost like sand that felt as if it would collapse at any moment. Unfortunately, not good ground to fight on if needed. I peered over the edge to see that a few ledges stuck out from the face of the wall, some big enough to hold a Deathstalker. I also noticed a few boarbatusk's pacing around at the bottom. I felt a light tap on my shoulder as Pyrrha came into view. I slowly met her gaze. "I think one of us should stay up here just in case we need to signal for help or to warn the other if more Grimm are coming." I stood up and nodded before taking my bag and shield off and laying them against a nearby tree.

"I got a message from Ozpin saying that the ground here is unstable and could collapse at any moment if hit with enough weight." All eyes went to Nora who had a innocent smile on her face. Ren let out a sigh and looked towards the ravine. "I will stay back up here with Nora just in case, I will try to find a way up if you guys can't." I nodded and slid my shield into place on my arm before walking towards the edge again. After a few seconds of surveying I noticed a small ledge nearby that lead down into the crevasse.

I nodded towards Pyrrha and Reagan then slowly started to slide down the small ledge. I was praying that the Grimm didn't notice the small pebbles raining down from above. I peered over the edge to see Boarbatusk's crawl out of their little holes as well as a few Beowolves. One of the Beo's looked up and sniffed at the air. I quickly leaned back against the wall and looked to the other two. I brought my finger up to my lips and slowly continued down the ledge. Going down the small ledge was hard enough, but now it started to get slimmer and slimmer with each step.

After a few minutes of crawling/walking down the large slope, we made it to a out cropping of rock that was about half way down. I walked over to the edge and peered over. Luckily most of the Grimm had left, leaving the bottom floor somewhat clear. Reagan walked up next to me and kicked a few rocks off. I bit back and groan when some of the rocks landed right on a Beowolf. I glared him as he shrugged like it was no problem.

Pyrrha walked over and folded her arms while looking around the cavern. "What are we looking for, unless it is just the normal Grimm." I pulled out my scroll and brought up the picture of the fox like Grimm. Her eyes went wide when she saw the picture. "I heard stories about how strong this particular Grimm is. I hope we won't have to fight it." I nodded in response while Reagan snorted and put on a cocky Grin. "Nah, we could take it. We got a world champion, a master swords man, and a..." He looked at me for a second before shrugging. "...What ever you can do."

If it was a different time then I probably would have killed him on the spot, but hopefully I wouldn't have to ever do that. "You shouldn't take this thing lightly, it is very strong and capable of destroying towns in minutes." His grin only grew as I spoke. He pulled out his sword and slowly dragged it across the floor. "Nothing my blade can't take care of." I let out a sigh and put my scroll away. Of course he was cocky, most huntsman are. A low growl sounded from over the edge, followed by a large black claw grasping it. More growls sounded from behind us, as I turned I pulled Ember from its sheathe and extended the blade.

A beowolf jumped down from a nearby hole causing the ledge to shake slightly. I blocked its initial strike with my shield and quickly slid Ember into the beasts throat. "Jaune, we have a problem..." I ripped Ember from the wolf and peered over the edge to see multiple more Beowolves climbing up the cliff face. I looked over to Pyrrha and Reagan and quickly backed up from the edge. "Don't let too many of them onto the platform, too much weight will cause it to collapse." Both of them nodded in unison as the first row of Grimm jumped up.

Before I could jump into the action I felt the ground below my feet crack and start to give way. I turned to see and Ursa start to stand on its hind legs near the wall of the cliff. With each step it took it caused the ground to feel less and less secure. I turned to tell Pyrrha and Reagan but by the time I opened my mouth the ledge had already crumbled away. I spun in the air and slammed Ember into the cliff face in hope of slowing my decent. I watched as bodies of Beowolves and the Ursa passed by and slammed into the floor of the ravine.

I jumped off the wall and landed in a roll next to all the dead Grimm. I brought my shield up and knocked a Boarbatusk to the side then quickly stabbed its stomach with Ember. Pyrrha landed next to me and let out a sigh. Blood trickled from her forehead and dripped onto the floor. Her bright emerald eyes met mine, now they held a look of determination and pain. "Are you alright?" She nodded slowly and shifted her sword into its rifle form. "What about you?" I shrugged and stood up to see Reagan slice through a beowolf. "I've been better, but he might need some help."

We both rushed off into the mini horde of black coming at us. I ran forward and blocked a strike heading for Reagan's unprotected back. The wolf snout slowly peered over the tip of my shield. It let out a low growl revealing its sharp white teeth. I closed my eyes and activated instinct. When I did I felt something in the back of my mind click like a light. Then it disappeared just as it appeared. I quickly knocked the wolf back then followed up by sliding Ember into its throat. The beasts grumbled then slid off the tip of my blade.

I spun Ember in my hands into a reverse grip and ran through the crowd of Grimm with my shield blocking the uncoordinated attacks. As I sliced through the different Grimm I started to feel a dark presence creep into the back of my mind. At first I thought it was the small voice again but this was different. Then it disappeared again like it was nothing. I let out a groan as one of the beowolves claws cut through my arm. I quickly sliced through the beasts throat and let out a sigh while holding my arm. The entire battle came to a stand still when a huge roar echoed through the ravine.

I turned to see a giant red blur slam into my side sending me flying into the cliff face wall. I slowly slid down to my knees and coughed up blood onto the rocky floor. I blinked my eyes a few times trying to get my bearings. I looked up just in time to see another red blur come flying at me. I rolled to the side as the red appendage crashed into the cliff face sending rock and debris everywhere. Another roar echoed through the ravine as the fox Grimm rose from the shadows it was hiding behind. It looked just as it did in the picture, except now it had at least seven tails.

I looked over and saw Pyrrha and Reagan still fighting off the Grimm. Each chance she got Pyrrha tried to get over to me but was stopped by more Grimm. Each time the Fox took a step it caused the ground to shake, causing small rocks to vibrate next to me. It crouched down onto all fours and growled at me. I slowly pulled my pistol and fired at its face. Most of the bullets missed, except one struck it in the eye causing it to go into a rage. I watched as it held its eyes and slammed into the rock face with its body. It let loose a violent roar then collapsed, sending dust out in every direction.

I took the small break and sprinted towards the other two. By now they had finished off the last of the Grimm and were watching the fox. I slid to a stop next to them and sheathed Ember. "Okay, we got the information we need. I think we should leave." Both nodded, Reagan didn't have the same cocky grin he had earlier. I let out a sigh, thanking what ever god above that he didn't want to fight it.

My eyes went wide as one of the fox's tails rose up and started to come flying towards us. I pushed Pyrrha out of the way and held up my shield while pumping aura into my legs, hoping that I would be able to hold its force. As the tail connected with my shield I felt the ground below my feet crack and splinter. I opened one eye to see the cracks spread out towards and under the fox. It watched with one eye as I tried to push against its much stronger tail. I grit my teeth as I slowly fell to one knee against the pressure.

The floor let out one final crack before crumbling away. As I fell into the dark pit I sensed the feeling in the back of my head again. The farther I fell the more intense it felt until it was like a brick slamming against my skull. I felt one final pulse until my eyes started to slowly close against my will. I couldn't even feel my shied arm anymore, almost as if it went completely numb. The last thing I remember hearing was Pyrrha calling my name. After that, I felt my eyes finally close.

 **Chapter end**

Oh my lord I'm sorry for the long wait. I have been so lazy you have no idea, that and I've been hit by writers block each time I went to write this. I am so incredibly sorry if this chapter felt rushed, I couldn't think of how some things went and it was a struggle just to get some parts to make sense. I apologize for how boring it seemed too, It was like taking a math test on calculus, that is how it felt no lie! XD

But next chapter will definitely not be as boring, plus I think I'm bad at writing people fighting Grimm because there is no special characteristic's, but fighting people is a whole other ball park. Another thing is at the end I finally started to get into the groove of writing again, so the end felt better than the middle. Again, sorry for taking nearly a month to write this, and for how bad it might be. Ugh I am like super stressed about how people will feel about this omg XD

Next chapter hopefully wont take a month to write, plus I actually planned it out so I know how most of it will go and that should make it better... Hopefully. Please leave a review so I can know how it is from a readers perspective, it might cut down my anxiety hopefully.

Yukas, out


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter, new stuff. Gears of war 4 at comic con :D**

 **Chapter 9: Awakening**

I awoke to the feeling of my body being dragged against the hard rock floor. My eyes slowly adjusted to the low light of the cavern, the only source of light being torches lining the walls. I slowly looked up to one of the men dragging me to see a white fang mask staring down at me. I let out a small gasp and tried to pull free from their grasps, but it only helped to tire me out more. I still couldn't feel my left arm from blocking the fox's strike, it could be broken, but I could feel my aura already working on it.

As I was dragged through the tunnel, thoughts started to flying into my mind. How long was I out? How far of a fall was it? Why were there white fang down in the caves? They should be preoccupied with the attack on the base. I closed my eyes and tried to pull out of my captors grip again. The only thing that happened was a elbow colliding with my head, followed by a loud crack that echoed through the cave.

"Hey! Don't you remember what the dark one said!? It wants him unharmed, or less then he already is." I felt the fang who hit me chuckle then grip my arm tighter. "I know what it said, but we don't want him to escape right?" I bit my lip as the numbness from my arm started to fade, followed by nearly unbearable pain. The arm was definitely broken, I just hope the aura would hurry and fix it.

Who was this "Dark One" they were talking about? And what did it want with me? From the sounds of it, maybe it is their boss. A leader of some sorts obviously, but the way they spoke about it seemed as if it was on some other level. I knew Adam Taurus was the actual leader, but I had never heard of him being called that name. A thought suddenly appeared into my head causing me to open my eyes. What had happened to Pyrrha? I remember pushing her out of the way, then her voice just before I passed out.

Hopefully she was able to get away and stay safe. Hopefully she didn't come down after me, I somehow survived, but she might not be so lucky.

We turned a corner to show more white fang standing around lit fires, some sharpening weapons, while others where handling dust vials. I squinted my eyes slightly when one of the grunts turned and looked at me. The light from the fire was reflecting off his skin to show that he was very, very pale. His veins were black and were completely visible. Another grunt walked past the light to show he had the same looking skin. What ever happened to these guys was serious. It might have to with this Dark One they had mentioned earlier.

After a few more minutes of being dragged through the cave system, we finally came up to a large cave opening that seemed to lead into a giant cave. It was hard to tell since the light didn't go very far into said cave. The two fang dropped me onto the cold floor and slowly walked back to the opening. I slowly started to sit up until the sound of something slithering stopped me in my tracks. I looked up and tried to see through the dark, but I was only met with shadows. I reached down to my hip to grab Ember, but my hand was only met with an empty sheathe. It seemed I had lost my weapons during the fall.

Something grabbed onto my right arm and leg and started to slowly crawl up my body, covering every inch of my body it touched. I tried to move away, but I felt as if I had no control over my limbs. I groaned and struggled to move my body, but what ever had latched onto me had taken control. One of the white fang from earlier walked forward with a torch to reveal what had latched onto my body. I grit my teeth and cursed in my head when I saw my right leg and half of my right arm were covered in a tar like substance. I watched as it continued to crawl up my body until the right half of my body below my neck was completely black. I felt it started to move up the right side of my neck until I no longer could see out of my right eye, it was as if a blanket had been laid over the entire right side of my body.

I was slowly lifted up into the air by the black substance, the farther up I was lifted the more I could see. The thing connected to me was like one giant arm. I tried to move any part of my body that wasn't my eye, but nothing seemed to work. A dark laugh seemed to echo through head, completely blocking out the rest of the world. My eye darted around the room to try and figure out what had made the noise. "If you wanted to see me so bad, you could have just asked." A dark voice echoed through my head just like the laugh did. Even if I could move, I would have been frozen with fear by what ever this things presence was. It was like nothing I had felt before.

large slug like antenna slowly appeared out of the dark followed by the rest of its head. It looked as if it was covered in the black tar that was connected to me, but thicker. Its antenna twitched then slowly went up and down the uncovered side of my body. "Ah yes, I was correct about you. Now that I feel your aura." Its voice boomed through my skull, rebounding off of my heads walls constantly. "I am the one they call the Dark One, to answer your question." My eye went wide as I felt its presence sifting through my head like a needle, poking at certain parts of my brain.

"I am currently linked to you through my tentacle that is latched to your side. Right now I am sifting through your memories while absorbing your aura. I suppose I can answer your unending questions as you slowly die. First off, the white fang you see here are no longer Faunas, no they are my minions. Tweaked to do my bidding, each one of them went through the same process as you. Most of them didn't have aura's so, it was quite easy to manipulate and change them." As the question popped into my head I could feel the slug grab onto it like a spider with a trapped fly. "How I change them? Oh that is very simple. First I sift through their memories to gain any unknown knowledge that I have yet to recover from anyone I have turned."

"After going through their head, I start to inject a type of virus into the blood system that attacks the brain. First it makes them start to go crazy, too many thoughts filter into their mind. Most of which are mine, that is the start of the infection. After a few days of that, they come completely under my control as the virus takes complete control of the soul. At that point, they are then controlled by my will. Now the reason I suck away your aura is because it is like my drug, feeling all the emotions you puny mortals feel is quite a rush. That, and with aura it is much harder for my virus to take effect."

As the slug talked I could feel my aura and strength start to slowly grow weaker. Even with my huge aura pool, it felt to be draining at a rate that I never thought was possible. The Grimm hummed in my head again, now I was starting to feel its emotions which was disgusting to say the least. "Oh your aura is so warm, even though you have a cold past. Thrown from your family at a young age, how pitiful. All you wanted was for your father to acknowledge you. Hahaha, so weak." I girt my teeth and tried to think up a plan to escape from this fate, but everything that came to mind was thwarted by the beast attached to me.

"You are an Arc, yes I have heard of your family for a very long time. Such great warriors in battle, all strong and vigilant. Unlike you, it seems you are quite the opposite when it comes to your fighting. Each of your ancestors were hero's, full of confidence and vigor, while all you can do is willow in self pity. How childish." The more this thing talked the more it made me want to kill it. "Ah anger, such a beautiful emotion. It is usually the last thing I feel before my new puppet gives into my influence. Fun fact, your family had encountered my kind before. They were very good at destroying our connection like this. Then again, they had followers that trusted and loved them, unlike you. Lonely and full of anger, you type of people have the best memories."

"Unfortunately your family discovered my previous versions power, and quickly deposed of me. I was soon given the name Gravemind, that is indeed my real name. Dark One is something these puny white fang came up with. Each time I am killed, one single piece of me survives because I have multiple nests waiting to become a full version of myself. It then learns of how I died, and comes up with ways to stop that from happening again. That is why you found me in such a dark cave. I took a risk capturing you, but it was worth the gamble. For you have the semblance from one of the original hero's of Vale. I never believed I would be able to taste the special aura from a wielder of Instinct."

I felt the pull on my aura grow stronger as the Gravemind mentioned my semblance, almost as if it was trying to such out all my aura as fast as possible. "But enough about me, how about we finish going through your short life hm?" With each memory this thing pulled up it felt as if a hot poker was being stabbed into my brain. The pain was slowly starting to become unbearable. I tried to my hardest to move my aura into any part of my body in hopes of getting a reaction, but nothing seemed to work. The pull from this thing was too strong.

"Adopted by a legend from the White fang, ah yes I have heard of this man. He at one point was stronger than the current leader of the fang, but he grew weak when his emotions took control of his life. He started to be more caring, leaving traitors alive but making it seem like he killed them. You seemed to be the last straw, after taking you in he started to loose his edge. What a pitiful excuse for a man. He was powerful when he didn't care about his kills, but then he grew a heart and lost it all. Even with all that experience he couldn't pass anything on to you. I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He was only teaching you failure. And see where that got you? Alone and being slowly killed by a Grimm. HA!"

Again I tried to fight back, but it came up fruitless. To think that a Grimm was doing this to me. After all these years I believed I was getting stronger, now I only felt weak. I slowly closed my eye and let a tear slip down my cheek. This thing was right, I was a failure. There was no way I could avenge Isaac like this. The slug let out a small laugh and slowed its pull on my aura."You are a very interesting individual, maybe I can get some use out of you. I can see the darkness in your heart, hidden away from the world. I can make an offer with you, if you give up your body to me, I will let you keep your conscious, and you will can let out that true power you keep hidden. let your hate and anger run free, it is only holding you back."

"Think of how strong you could be. With my armies of possessed and Grimm you would be unstoppable. No kingdom would stand in your way, everything could be yours, everyone at your mercy!" At first I thought of taking its offer, sure Samuel had said it would only drive me to death, but with this things help I could be immortal. But before I could accept, I thought back to Pyrrha and how I put my trust in her, and she put her trust in me. She had been the first person in years to break through my hard shell, show me the light that was life. If I were to turn now, then it would just be me stabbing her in the back.

"I see, even in all your darkness you still hold onto the light. A girl, Mistrals champion fighter. A goddess among men. A kind person that would never stab you in the back. It all seems too good to be true. But what happens when she does go behind you, when she pushes you over the edge. You see her as your only light in the dark, but what if she turns her back on you and leaves you to disappear alone. What then Jaune...Arc?" I watched in my mind as Pyrrha's smile slowly turned into a scowl, her eyes held a look of hate and anger in them. Her spear slowly pierced my chest with one swift strike. Her green eyes stared into mine. "You are a failure Jaune, born into the Arc family and yet you still can't become strong enough to help yourself, much less anyone else. Good bye Jaune, you won't be remembered."

More tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched her walk away from my bleeding form. It felt so real, almost as if it would actually happen. That's what this thing wanted me to believe. That I was alone, and that my only hope was in the darkness. The more I thought about her leaving, the more my aura began to boil like water. I felt Instinct activate on its own. Soon after I felt my aura start to flow into my eye. It was comforting, the dark presence of the Gravemind was slowly disappearing from my mind. The only thing left was the images of Pyrrha standing in front of me with sword and shield in hand. Her head slowly turned to reveal her smiling face. I clenched my fist and grit my teeth as my aura grew warm in my body, now giving me full control.

My left eye shot open as I focused on the only thing I could see, the darkness that lay in front of me. I watched as the slug before me burst into white flames, lighting the entire cave up in a brilliant white blaze. I could feel the fear from the Grimm through the link, it was screaming in agony as my white flames burned the beast. Its tentacle stop taking my aura and started to pump it back into me. My eye flicked down to the tentacle causing it to burst into the same white flames its body was. I landed on the stone floor and pulled the rest of the tar from my body.

The slug thrashed into the walls of the cave letting out a ear shattering screech. Behind me I could hear all of the possessed white fang screaming in pain. I turned to see that the ones that had brought me into the cave were now patting at their arms and legs trying to put out fire that wasn't there. Down the hall I could hear the roar of the fox. Its sounded as if it was in the same pain the slug was. I spun back to the Grimm and focused more flames onto the already decaying beast, nearly doubling the out put.

I wiped the tears from my face and ran through the tunnels of the cave. As I ran I passed dozens of possessed screaming in pain trying to put out the fire. In a way I felt bad for them, if they still had their conscious then they were feeling this pain, but I couldn't help them. They were already connected to that thing, but I didn't want to stick around to try and help them.

I slid to a stop after noticing my sword and shield laying on a table Ember was in normal shape, but my shield had a huge dent in the middle where the fox tail had impacted. I quickly slid it onto my back and grabbed Ember. Another roar from the Fox echoed through the tunnels. Deciding that might be where I fell, I ran towards its pain filled screams.

I approached the Fox's chamber dust started to fall from the ceiling as what I assumed was the Fox slamming into the walls. I round the corner to see the beast in question holding its head and wailing like a wounded puppy. My eyes flicked over to a nearby elevator. Unfortunately, the Fox spotted me and let out a roar. I sprinted towards elevator while watching the Grimm from the corner of my eye. I slid to a stop and rolled backwards as its hand slammed into the rock in front of me. I tried to focus my flames onto the beast, but when I tried to my head started to pound with pain causing me to bring up my hand and cover my left eye. It seemed that my new power had a limit on its uses. The beast let out a roar before slamming one of its tails into the ground beside me, launching me into the air.

The Fox let out a roar and jumped at me. As It flew in mid air time seemed to slow down as I focused on its body. Taking advantage of this time, I placed my hand on its nose and propelled myself towards the beasts neck. I spun Ember into a reverse grim and stabbed the blade into its back. Blood gushed out of the wound as I slid down its back, covering my armor and jacket in its red fluids. As I reached the bottom I pulled Ember out and jumped to the stone below. The ran towards the elevator as the fox reached at its back while screeching in pain.

I slammed the bottom in the elevator hoping that it would cause it to move faster. As the car moved up towards the move of the cave, the Fox thrashed and slammed against the cave walls causing stalactites to rain down onto the already wound Grimm. It one green eye shown in the dark as it watched me slowly ascend up the wall. In a last ditch attempt to attack me, it threw a chunk of rock towards me. Luckily the beast missed as the rock impacted with the cave wall, shattering into a million pieces.

The elevator door shuttered open with a low creak. As I stepped out of the box the brakes let out a loud whine before giving way. I watched as the elevator car went plummeting down back into the cave below. I let out a sigh of relief. After surviving all that, I didn't want to die to faulty machinery. I sprinted up the path of the old mine hoping to reach the surface as fast as possible. As I ran I noticed that most of the mining equipment was new looking, most likely the possessed using it. I had a thought lingering in the back of my head, the two fang that were carrying me seemed to still have control over their bodies. I couldn't imagine being controlled like that against your own will, while still knowing you were the one doing it. Then again, that almost happened to me.

I slammed open the door of the mine with a loud bang causing dirt and dust to fall from the surrounding area. I fell to my knees and gripped grass in both of my palms. A sucked in as much as I could into my lungs then let it out with a exaggerated sigh. After a few moments of catching my breathe I pulled my scroll and open up the screen. I held it up to my face to see a new pair of eyes staring at me. They still were gold with a black slit, but now there was a slit red tint around my pupil, turning most of the eye a light orange.

I decided to leave it for another time and deactivated Instinct then pulled up Pyrrha's contact. After a few seconds of light buzzing the line connected. Her face came into view, showing a mix of surprise and worry. "Jaune!? You're okay! What happened to you?" I stood up to my full height and slid Ember into its sheathe. "Its a long story for another time, right now I need to know where you are. Are you hurt?" She shook her head and let out a sigh. "Luckily no, after you saved me we were forced to leave the ravine and extract completely. Grimm started to swarm from the hole caused by the Fox Grimm. I'll tell the pilot-" I quickly cut her off and started heading towards the ravine.

"No, you keep heading back to Beacon. I'm going to scout out the white fang base, tell Ozpin that I will contact him when I am ready. Did you leave my bag by the Ravine?" I watched her frown then nod and close her eyes. "Yes we did, but Jaune you shouldn't go alone. Its too dangerous alone." I picked up my pace towards the ravine and gave Pyrrha a small grin. "Hey, I made it out of that hell hole okay right? Have a little faith in me." Before she could respond I shut off my scroll and sprinted the rest of the way to my bag.

I slid to a stop as I neared the edge of the Ravine. As I peered over I could see just how many Grimm now occupied the cavern. It was like a sea of black that now covered the ground level, more was pouring out of the gaping hole that I fell through. I chewed on my lip in thought while opening my pack and rummaging through it. I didn't see that many Grimm down in the caves, maybe the Gravemind called them to him as he was being burned. It seemed like the most reasonable explanation. My hand met the object I was looking for as a loud roar erupted from the Ravine. I quickly pulled out Isaac's mask and sprinted in the direction of the White fang base. Hopefully, the Grimm won't come until I've already left.

As I ran I looked down at the mask in my hand, it was risky going back for it, but something told me that I needed to bring it with me. Maybe it was just my subconscious, but I have it now and that's all that mattered. Soon I would have my revenge, no more self doubt or weakness. I was going to make this dream come true, even if it killed me. Then again, Pyrrha would probably bring me back just to pummel me dead again. My attention was drawn towards the now visible base off in the distance. I slid to a stop and and stared at the base. The sun was now starting to set, causing the bright green to leaves to turn a dark orange.

I pulled my shield off my back and held it in front of me. The dent in the middle of the shield was too great, sadly it would no longer serve me purpose. I dropped it to the ground with a thud and activated Instinct. Now that I had time to pay attention to the differences, I was actually able to the aura of the few white fang that had their aura's unlocked, though it was hard to maintain that focus at such a long distance.

I took Isaac's mask in both hands and slowly placed in on my face. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly and stayed in position. That was good since I don't have to keep adjusting it and being a nuisance.

I squeezed my fists, feeling my aura course through my veins like wild fire. It was warm, but a comforting warm. Like a campfire on your body during a chilly night. It felt good to have that kind of power dwelling within me, knowing the feeling of protection and warmth. After a few seconds of standing under the darkening sky, I pulled Ember from its sheathe with a slow but gratifying motion and extended the blade to its full length. The sound of the metal shifting was like music to my ears. I squinted my eyes slightly in preparation and sprinted towards my new foe. The master assassin and murderer, Hayden Price.

 **Chapter end**

Boom! chapter done, and not an entire month wait this time! This chapter was sooooo much easier to right since I actually knew what I was writing, the whole cave part was planned since the beginning of the story and oh boy am I glad that we got past it.

Next chapter, Jaune takes on the enemy single handed, but will it be enough to stop Hayden and get his revenge?

(I felt like putting that there, in a DBZ mood)

Follow, Favorite, Review to your pleasure! All is appreciated in the long run!

Yukas, out


	11. Chapter 11

**New chapter, some tense stuff in this one, I hope it seems tense anyway. Also, Killerbeats359, thank you for sending me that review, I got a good laugh from the DBZ opening XD (Some parts get pretty...dark... so just to warn you)**

 **Chapter 10: The darkest of nights**

As I approached the base I started to see remnants of battles fought outside the walls. Between the blood and scorch marks, it was easy to see that the Grimm were holding the white fang at bay. I stopped by a tree near the main entrance to see a few dozen Grimm clawing at the large door stopping them from entering and tearing apart our common enemy. My eyes flicked up to the few white fang who stood guard at the top of the large wall. From this distance I was easily able to see that not a lot of the fang here had aura. Most of them must have just been everyday people. It was unfortunate that they were forced into taking action, just the wrong type of action.

I sprinted to the far wall of the complex and stared up the wall. It must have been at least two stories, maybe more. That was two stories too high for me, but a stupid wall wasn't going to stop me now. I pumped aura into my feet and jumped leaving a small crater in my wake. I went flying up and over the wall, as I came back down to remnant, I noticed a control center nearby. If I could create a distraction then that could buy me enough time to find Hayden. I landed in a roll and ran towards the control room. Fortunately, most of the fang were already preoccupied with the Grimm on the other side of the complex.

I I kicked open the door startling the one guard inside the small room. His mask was laying on the table, revealing his yellow eyes. Two ears of a puma poked out of his mop of black hair. He froze as his eyes rested upon my mask. I slowly started to walk towards him whilst spinning Ember in my hand. The Faunas stumbled and fell onto my butt, his bright yellow eyes widened as I stood over him casting a shadow. The small voice in the back of my head returned, it was now more prominent, it didn't send a chill down my spine this time though. "Kill... He is on the wrong side..." The voice almost sounded familiar, but I banished it away from my thoughts.

The Faunas shook in fear as my eyes scanned over his face, seeing someone so scared of me seemed wrong, but at the same time it felt nice to seem dangerous. "Y-you're Scar? You should be dead!" His voice came out shaky and cracked at the end. I let out a small chuckle and made my voice deep. "Nothing goes to plan when it comes to the white fang I suppose." Before he could answer I slammed Ember's hilt into his forehead knocking him unconscious. I sheathed ember and walked over the the nearby computer monitor and flicked through the camera feeds.

First I saw just how many Grimm were around the base, it was surprising that these guys hadn't been over thrown yet. All I was able to see was the glow of red eyes staring at the fang shooting bullets at them, it seemed that with each one they killed two more replaced it. I flicked through the camera feed until it stopped on a nearby garage. Inside were two Atlas paladins being worked on. My eyes widened slightly after seeing two machines of such quality in the ends of filth like this. Just how did they get them anyway? I had only heard of prototypes, maybe they had connections in Atlas, which wasn't good. I plugged in my scroll and recorded the feed. Now that I saw them, it explained how the fang were stopping the Grimm from overwhelming them.

As my scroll recorded the feed I moved to another monitor and flicked through messages between Hayden and someone called the "Black Queen". The first few messages seemed to just be about small things like meet ups and weaponry exchange, but one message stuck out. I quickly scanned over the words until my eyes rested upon the words "CCT is our next target." I chewed on my lip in thought, the CCT tower was in beacon, the thing that connected all the kingdoms. If their plan was to disrupt it somehow, then it could mean serious trouble. I quickly moved my scroll over and downloaded all the messages, any information on the plans of the fang was beneficial.

After my scroll finished downloading I moved over to the main control panel of the base and looked over the buttons. Most were just crane controls, but on stuck out like a sore thumb. A red handle was lifted up with the words "Gate control" over it. I slowly pulled the switch down causing loud sirens to start blaring throughout the base. I watched the camera feed as the the main entrance to the base slowly opened. Grimm poured through the entry point like water, destroying anything they could touch. Unlucky fang tried to escape but were soon torn to shreds as a wave of black consumed them.

Outside I could hear the roar of the beasts and yelling from the other fang. Explosions and gunshots rang throughout the base, now the Grimm had the advantage. From the camera feed I could see the paladins slowly rise to attention and sprint out of the garage guns blazing. The turrets tore through the sea of black, sending blood spewing everywhere. One of the paladins shot a rocket into the crowd sending flaming black bodies flying through the air. An Ursa major busted through the gate and charged towards one of the paladins. It roared and slammed into the side of the machine just as it fired a missile. I watched as the stray rocket exploded into a barracks full of dust. Flames exploded from the now destroyed building, blanketing the walls and ground in flames.

The main entrance was now a flame, burning any Grimm that dared to enter. Another Ursa charged through the flames, not caring if its fur slowly burned away. It joined its brother against the paladin. At first it seemed they were making no progress as they were being pushed back by the robots hail of bullets. But one of the duo's paws slammed into the paladin's right arm, snapping it off and sending it flying towards the wall. Soon after both Ursa converged on the now defenseless paladin. The pilot inside tried to fight them back, but was ultimately overwhelmed. The mechanic beast collapsed to the ground as the two Grimm tore armor plating off of its body. A loud whine sounded before the paladin exploded, killing both of the Ursa at the same time.

The other paladin sprinted to the other entrance of the base as a Deathstalker slammed into the gate with its tail. A large ice arrow slammed into its thick armor, this seemed to only agitate the beast more. I switched camera feeds to see Hayden standing with a girl who had blue hair and a dark red trench coat. In her hands was a large bow made of silver. She reached back to her quiver, but instead of arrows it was full of long dust tubes. She clicked a red tube with her index finger then pulled her hand away. A flaming arrow formed in her hand as she aimed it at the Deathstalker. The arrow impacted sending a large wave of flames over the beast, covering it completely. It screeched and thrashed against the gate, denting it with each hit.

I unsheathed Ember and ran out of the control room towards the Hayden's position. As I ran I saw more dust explosions erupt from the other gate, most likely that girl with the bow. I ran past the crater left by the paladin, all that was left was pieces of metal scattered around the mud road. It was such a waste of machinery, then again it wasn't mine. From the corner of my eye I saw the glint of the something from the shadows. I barely had enough time to bring up my sword to block a small knife. Said knife bounced from my shield and landed in the mud.

My attacker slowly walked out from his dark hiding spot and into the light. He was wearing a coat similar to the girl, but this one was a dark grey with black accents. his hair and eyes were both a dark crimson, almost the color of dried blood. A single scar ran down his face from hairline to jaw line, crossing over his right eye. A large frown was plastered on his face as his eyes locked with mine. "I'm guessing you are the one who caused this, especially with that rare mask." I brought my sword up in front of me ready for what ever this guy was planning. He pulled out a knife like the one before and spun it between his fingers. "My partner really likes rare masks, I think I just might get it for her."

He spun the knife one more time before throwing it directly at me. I brought Ember up and deflected it out of the air. As The knife connected with my blade a dark smoke erupted from the knife, blocking my vision. My eyes flicked around the smoke trying to to spot any movement. A low whistle caused me to spin and dodge another knife. I watched as it disappeared into the smoke again without a trace. Soon after two more came from a different direction. I quickly blocked both and started to sprint to the area they were thrown from. I pumped aura into my eyes, soon after his dark red aura glowed like a light in the dark smoke. I sprinted forward and struck at him with an overhead slash. He quickly pulled up a knife and blocked it, but struggled to hold my weight.

He let out a small chuckle and grinned. "Oh so you aren't a talker eh? I was hoping to hear you scream a little." He kicked me away and pulled out another knife in his other hand. He sprinted forward and started to swing with both knives. I was able to block most with the help of Instinct but some still got through leaving small cuts along my arms and legs. He slowed down for a split second giving me an opportunity to throw a kick at him. He blocked the strike with his arms, but wasn't able to dodge the bullet I fired from my pistol that was still holstered. He cringed in pain as the bullet struck his arm, weakening his block. I quickly switched feet and slammed my foot into his chest launching him out of the smoke.

I sprinted out of the smoke and dodged a knife with a quick duck. I then pulled out my pistol and fired at his leg, nailing him in the thigh. Again the bullet only hit his aura, but it still effected his stance. He stumbled back and tried to recover. But it was too late as I kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground. His red aura flashed for a second before disappearing into the nothing. I aimed and fired two bullets into each of his legs. he let out a scream of pain as he collapsed onto his back. He pulled out another knife, this one glowing yellow and threw it at me. I dodged to the side expecting it to miss, but to my surprise it exploded mid air, sending lightning into my body. I clenched my teeth as the electricity coursed through my body.

I watched as he prepared another knife, a smile on his face. "You thought you could beat me so easily, I've been through much worse than this." He brought his arm back and prepared to throw it. before he could I pumped aura into my arm. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." Before he could respond I brought my arm back and threw Ember straight towards his arm, the blade pierced his flesh while nailing his arm to the ground. He let out another scream of pain and tried to pull his arm free. I collapsed to my knees as the electricity stopped flowing through me. I let out a groan as steam rose from my hands and shoulders, some parts of my armor and jacket were looked burnt and smoked as well.

I slowly stood to my feet as the man grunted and pulled at the sword pinning him to the ground. As I walked over to him the voice in my head came back, this time more even more noticeable. "Kill him... He deserves it." I pulled Ember from his arm slowly, pain was evident on his face. I felt myself smile as fear flooded into his eyes as I aimed my pistol at his head. I chuckled darkly and pulled the hammer back. "It looks like your partner wont be getting my mask, or your friendship ever." I pulled the trigger and watched as the life drained from his eyes almost instantly. He collapsed to the ground with a small thud. Another dark chuckle escaped from my throat as I stared at his body.

"NO!" I slowly turned around to see the girl from earlier staring at me with tears rolling down her cheeks. I pointed my pistol and fired into the dead body next to me without looking causing her to grit her teeth and pull out a blue glowing arrow. She pulled back the arrow and fired it directly at me, I blocked the arrow with Ember causing it to shatter on impact. I spun Ember in my hands and smiled. "Maybe you can put up more of a fight, unlike your friend over there." I motioned my head towards the dead body.

Her eyes flicked from me to the body then back to me. I watched as she grit her teeth and transformed her bow into a staff, she then grabbed her quiver and slid it onto the staff. The quiver then shifted until it was locked onto the staff, which now created a spear with a multicolored tip. I titled my head slightly and giggled. "Very creative I see. I doubt it will help you in battle though." She let out a huff and charged at me spear at the ready. Her first move was to swipe horizontally at my mid section, I rolled under the strike and sprinted away from her dead partner and out of the corner I was in. I slid to a stop, splattering mud around me as I did. I quickly pulled up my pistol and fired a single shot at her head.

To my surprise, she sliced the bullet in two with her spear, sending the two pieces into the wall behind her. I slid my pistol into its holster and spun Ember. "Hm, maybe you are more talented then that piece of trash you called a partner." I smiled as she grit her teeth and sprinted at me. She was easy to piss off, perhaps this would be too easy. As she got closer I activated Instinct and lowered my self to the ground. She lunged forward aiming for my throat. I dodged to the side and slashed at the tip of her spear, causing it to slam into the mud. She immediately jumped off the ground and spun using the spear as a pivot and planted her feet onto my forearms, pushing me back.

As I recovered she grabbed her spear and started spinning towards me, aiming her spear for different parts of my body. I was actually having a difficult time blocking each strike, most bounced off my armor luckily, but it was difficult none the less. I could tell she was getting tired as her strikes became much slower and more predictable. I blocked her next strike then grabbed her spear with my free hand, stopping all her movements. A smile came across my face when I ripped the spear from her hands and slammed the flat end into her stomach. She doubled over the spear and coughed. I pulled the spear away and sheathed Ember, then took the spear in both hands.

"I can see that keeping that attack up for long periods comes with risks, you should really pace yourself." She let lout another coughed and looked up to me with a smile, blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. "Don't underestimate me." Her hand made a slight clicking noise, soon after the tip of her spear changed into a bright yellow and exploded, causing yellow dust to rush towards my face. I felt the spear disappear from my hands as a bright yellow cloud formed around me, blocking my sight. I slowly looked around the cloud, trying to detect any movement. I pumped aura into my eyes and tried to spot her aura, but my search came up fruitless. I dodged to the side after hearing a slight whistle. I looked down to my arm to see a slight cut in between my armor plating.

I assumed it was an arrow from the sound it made, that and because she was an archer. I dodged another arrow, except this time I was able to see it, it seemed that she used her aura to increase their speed. I pulled out my pistol and slowly looked around for another arrow. After a few seconds I saw a small green glow in the yellow hue. I ducked under the arrow and fired towards where the arrow came from. A low groan erupted from the area that I fired from, followed by the glow of green. A smirk appeared on my face as the yellow smoke slowly started to dissipate, revealing the girl. She was now crouched on the ground holding her thigh, tears dripped down onto the muddy floor.

I put Ember under her chin and lifted her head up slowly. As we locked eyes I felt something change in me, like a dark presence had been controlling me. The sight of her bright blue eyes glistening made me remember someone from a time long ago, seeing the pain in her eyes froze me. She sniffed and scowled at me. "Just do it already, Don't waste my time." I slowly lowered my sword and stared down at her. She lowered her head again and kept holding her thigh. I slowly looked over to her dead partner as a wave of grief flooded over me. I had just killed this girls partner, the one she held closest to her. I stared down at my hands, covered in dried blood of my enemies, but it was my fault they had to fight me.

The sound of splashing mud caught my attention, As I turned to investigate my stomach was met with a boot that sent me flying in the opposite direction. I impacted the muddy ground with a loud thud then rolled a few inches before stopping on my back. I let out a gasp as the air in my lungs left all at once. After panting like a dog for a few seconds I mustered up the strength to see who had attacked me. My eyes went wide when I saw the man I came for standing where I was moments ago. He wore the same mask from the pictures before, but now he wore a large trench coat similar to the other two I had fought, except his was pitch black with blue veins running along the sleeves.

He looked down to the girl crouching next to him, then to her partner, and then to me. "I'm surprised you were able to defeat BOTH of my henchmen, They WERE supposed to be the best." He spun and kicked the girl in the face causing her to yelp in pain. As she writhed in pain he simply walked over to her spear and slowly picked it up. "I trained you both to beat anyone you faced, and here you are, _crying_ like a little child, how pitiful." He raised his arm with the spear and held it in the air. "I trained you better, you are a _Disgrace!_ " He plunged the spear right into the girls heart with no effort. Her body collapsed to the mud without a sound. Hayden shook his head turned towards me.

I quickly jumped to my feet and into a defensive state. If I am going to win this battle, then I need to be smart about it. I watched as he slowly walked towards me, each step felt like he was going to attack, it didn't help that It was hard to see his one eye. He stopped a few feet short of me and stood like a statue, it was kind of unnerving. "That mask, a friend of Scar I presume?" I stayed silent, less he knew about me the better. The sound of chains grinding filled my ears as two sets of chains dropped from Hayden's sleeves then smacked onto the muddy floor. Before I could even think of a reason why he had them he sprinted forward with the chains in tow. I quickly brought up my sword as one of the chains came flying at me. By the time I blocked the first set, his other arm raised up, launching the other set at me. I quickly pulled out my pistol and fired a bullet at the incoming chains, the bullet impacted knocking the metal off course.

Taking the opening I had I jumped back out of his reached and quickly reloaded my pistol. He is fast, even with all that extra weight, it seemed I would be sing everything in this fight. I readied myself as he sprinted at me much faster than any normal person, he swiped his right arm around, but instead of chains like I was expecting, a long sword came within inches of my throat. I shook off my surprise and quickly rushed at him. I holstered my pistol as our swords clashed sending sparks flying out in all directions. I grit my teeth as we pushed against each other, it didn't help that the floor was slippery. I could tell he was struggling too, but not as much as I was. "I see, you are a lot stronger then my two subordinates, they would have given up already. You really are his student."

I pushed away from him and pulled out my pistol. Before I could fire he grabbed my arm and slammed me into the ground causing my pistol to fall out of my hand. I rolled away as his foot slammed into the ground, pieces of dirt and rock uprooted to form a mini crater around his foot. I let out a sigh and gripped Ember tighter, this guy was no push over. Hayden stepped out of the crater and faced me, a single blue eye stared at me. "There is something special about you, but since you wont talk, I will have to make you." He sprinted forward and lunged with his sword. I brought mine up to deflect the strike, but just before our swords connected, his dissipated into a blue dust. Before I could change course his knee impacted my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. Then his foot came and collided with my mask causing me to slid back.

Before I could catch my bearings his chains came flying towards me and wrapped around my entire body. I tried to push them off but with each struggle it only caused they to grow tighter and tighter. I fell to my knees dropping my sword to the mud. I slowly looked up to see Hayden walk up and grab Ember from the ground. I noticed the chains weren't connected to his arms anymore and that they had the same blue veins wrapping around them. I struggled against the chains again, but let out a sigh knowing they won't budge. I heard Hayden chuckle as he inspected my sword. "The more you struggle the more painful it will be." I watched as he inspected the sword carefully, almost as if he was looking for something.

"Ember... So I suspect your semblance involves fire? Other wise that's a stupid name." I squinted my eyes slightly but refused to speak. He turned to me and stabbed Ember into the ground. "You really don't like to talk, I'm guessing you have no friends." He waited for an answer and let out a sigh as I stared at him. "Jeez kid, and here I thought we could have a conversation like a normal people." I scoffed and shook my head. "I'm hardly normal..." He kicked me in the stomach causing me to double over. He let out a satisfied laugh and knelled down in front of me. "The kick was for being a rebellious teenager. And I'm surprised you spoke to that. You are unpredictable when it comes to talking." He grabbed a handful of my hair and held my head up.

He smashed his knee into my face causing my mask to shatter into pieces. He crouched back down and lifted my head up. "I knew it, you were that little brat Scar took under his wing! I remembered that blonde mop of yours." I scowled slightly and looked down at the broken pieces of Scar's mask lying in the mud. Hayden noticed and let out a little whine. "Awe, did I hurt your feelings? I know you teens are so emotional!" He punched me then let out a loud laugh. "I suppose I should kill you n-" he stopped suddenly and grabbed my hair again. He then stared into my eyes and let out a gasp. My eyes went wide when I saw his one blue eye, it was identical to mine. He let go of my head and stood up. He pulled open his coat and pulled out a radio.

"Hey its me... I found something you might want to see... Alright, I'll be there by morning." He placed the radio back into his coat and laughed. "I see you are surprised as I am, well I guess I could give a little history lesson while I slowly sap out your aura." He pulled out a collar from his coat and dangled it in front of me. "Now, I'm sure you know about the four main families from the war blah blah blah." He grabbed my hair again and held my head back while placing the collar onto my throat. It wrapped around with a click and started to glow red. He stepped back and looked down at me. "Anyways, you are an Arc descendant, I know because you have golden eyes instead of blue, plus your aura has a certain feel to it."

"I am apart of the Price family, we aren't as strong and as powerful as you mighty Arc's so we got pushed aside." He slowly took off his mask to reveal his scarred up face. One X was across his left eye that went down to his ear. The right side of his face looked like it had been burned severely and wasn't treated correctly. He smiled and slid the mask back onto his face. "My family rebelled against the Arc's in hopes of getting more power, they resorted to inhuman ways and were called monsters. I reflect that monster side of my family. As you can see, I'm not the prettiest of people." I scoffed and smiled at him. "You got that right."

He snapped his fingers causing a sharp pain to go up my spine and into my head. I let out a yell and collapsed to the mud. Hayden cackled and kicked my side. "As long as that collar is on you, I control how fast or slow your aura drains. So I would watch yourself, unless you want to be in pain for the next hour." I glanced up to him and let out a groan. He laughed again and snapped his fingers causing more pain to go through my neck. I clenched my teeth and tried to pump aura into any part of my body hoping something would happen. But it only caused my aura to drain even faster. Eventually I gave up and just laid there as Hayden played with Ember.

I slowly closed my eyes and thought about how everyone would react to never seeing me again. Most of them would probably not care, but Pyrrha would probably feel something. She is the closest thing to a friend that I have, I guess I should have ran when I had the chance. " **You don't have to run..."** I opened my eyes to see I was standing in a dark room with a single light above me. I spun around trying to see anything indicating where I was. **"I can help you."** Suddenly a dark figure appeared in the light. Its features started to become more noticeable until I realized that... It was me. Except this Jaune had black veins spreading out from the corner of his eyes. His iris was a blood red instead of blue, and the whites of his eyes were black like the veins. I took a step back as this dark Jaune smiled.

 **"Oh don't be afraid of me, I know I look a little scary but I can help."** His voice didn't sound devilish like it did before, now it was normal. I narrowed my eyes at him and folded my arms. "If your me then why do you look like that?" He let out a dark chuckle and held his arms out. **"I am all your stored up hate and anger, I am your most powerful emotions. Everyone has their own inner demons right? I actually helped you earlier against those two henchmen, you were pretty badass eh?"** I shook my head and scowled at him. "No I don't care, I knew something was wrong. It was you controlling me!" He walked closer to me and smiled a genuine smile. **"I'm just helping you out, like right now. Let me lend you some power. You can destroy this guy easily."** I pondered for a moment on his words, if it could help me out then I suppose it wouldn't be too bad.

I turned back to him chewed on my lip for a second. "Okay, how does this work then?" He laughed and placed his hand on my shoulder then smiled. **"Just like this."**

 **Chapter end**

Holy crap that was dark am I right? Dark Jaune is pretty...Dark! Jeez that sounded stupid, anyway I wanted to keep on with this chapter but after seeing how many words I decided against it. This chapter probably could have made it to at least 7 or 8 thousand if I kept going. So next time there will be lore, and introducing a new character to the story! (Not another OC, too many XD) How will dark Jaune's power effect normal Jaune, will it be enough to defeat Hayden? I sure hope so, I need more Arkos in my life. XD

Side note, my school starts up next week so updates my slow down a little, but they will still come out I promise!

Please please please leave a review on anything! Last chapter I only got a few, I love to hear from everyone, even if its just saying if the chapter was good or not, tell meh please! Till next time!

Yukas, out.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11: An unfamiliar face**

As I laid in the mud I felt the new presence of my dark self wash over my body. It felt, nice at first, like a warm blanket slowly warming me up during a cold night. I also felt the amount of aura that suddenly started to flood into my system, more than I was ever used to. I slowly started to rise to my knees as white flames started to rise from my body. A wicked smile spread across my face as Ember burst into white flames, burning Hayden's hand. "Ah what the-" He turned towards me and stopped dead in his tracks. Even if I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was surprised by the sudden aura boost. I flexed against the chains surrounding my body, each link whined as the white flames grew hotter and bigger.

I let out a yell as the chains broke into flaming pieces, scattering around the muddy terrain. I slowly stood to my full height, my arms dangled as I started to laugh manically. My laugh echoed through out the complex as my flames grew brighter, the light was brighter than most of the fires around. I suddenly sprinted forward towards Hayden while grabbing Ember from the floor. With a loud yell I slashed at him, sending a wave of fire towards him. He spun and took the entire slash, most of the fire hitting his back catching it a flame.

He slowly turned towards me and tore his flaming jacket off and threw it to the mud. Under his jacket was a simple black T-shirt, but his arm were rapped from his gloves and up into his shirt. I swung my arm again sending another torrent of flames towards him. Instead of taking the hit, Hayden dodged out of the way with a roll and turned to look at the burning complex behind him. My flames slammed into the nearest wall and instantly started to spread as if the concrete was wood. I took the opportunity and pumped aura into my blade, then slashed horizontally, sending a huge wave of flames towards the unsuspecting Hayden. my smile grew wider as the white flames engulfed my target and slammed into the walls, spreading more of my fire.

My smile dropped when Hayden walked out of the flames holding a blue shield, seemingly untouched by my fire. He stopped and looked around at white flames slowly burning his base to the ground, after a few seconds of looking, his gaze fell upon me. "It seems that I was wrong about that sword of yours, it does assist your semblance quite nicely." His blue shield dropped to the mud with a loud thump. Soon after it cracked and broke into small blue pieces. I let the flames surrounding Ember die down, leaving it in its normal state. Hayden slowly started to approach me while holding out his right hand. "Listen here kid, I don't know what happened to you, but if you think your semblance can beat mine, then you are mistaken."

As he talked a new blade started to form in his hands. "I bet you think that if you beat me, then all that guilt from loosing your 'master' will be lifted huh? Well let me tell you something kid. I have lived in this world longer than you have and let me tell you something, you never make friends with your inner demons!" I barely had enough time to bring my sword up to block his strike in time. His speed was incredible, if instinct wasn't active then I surely would have been hit. I pushed him off of me and back peddled as he swung at me. It felt as if I was fighting a new opponent, everything about him seemed...Off.

I ducked under one of his strikes and retaliated with my own by slashing at his midsection. My eyes went wide when he simply moved out of the way and slashed at my back. I grit my teeth in pain as his blade went through the unarmored part of my back, slashing through the strips holding up my armor. I spun and dragged Ember across his blade, pushing him away from me. I heard him laugh as I tore off my back plate and dropped it to the floor. "Even with all that extra power you still can't hit me! HA!" He sprinted towards me again and went for a over head slash. I reached forward and grabbed his arm with my free hand and copied his attack. He caught my arm and started to push me down to my knees.

I heard him giggle as his grip tightened around my arm. "It seems this little Arc isn't as strong as his daddy, how pitiful." I scowled at the mention of my father and tried to push back. I felt the presence of my dark self slowly growing in my head like a dark cloud. **"Come on Jaune, stop holding back... If you lose here you can't prove how strong you are to your father. let me take control, we will defeat him together."** I watched as Hayden's blade slowly inched closer and closer to my shoulder, I shut my eyes and tried to push against him but ended up falling to my knees. "This is the end for you, Arc. Worthless like Scar." That was the last straw for me, I surrendered most of my control to Dark Jaune and felt the difference immediately. The strain on my muscles nearly disappeared as I stood up and squeezed Hayden's arm causing him to growl.

I felt my self smile as Hayden's arm cracked followed by a scream of pain. As he dropped his sword I spun and kicked him square in the chest, launching him away from me. As I looked down to my arms it felt like I wasn't completely in control of my body. Everything felt tingly and distant, like I was the co-pilot. **"Now I am in control Jaune, don't worry. I will make sure he suffers."** I slowly started to walk towards him as he writhed on the ground. I felt a sharp pain impact my shoulder as Hayden raised his good arm towards me. My head slowly turned to see a fragment of his sword sticking out of my back. A dark chuckle escaped my lips as I looked back to my downed foe. "You think a simple wound like this could kill me?"

I felt slightly scared by my own voice, it came out dark and threatening, not even resembling my old voice. Hayden rose to his feet and summoned another sword into his hand. "Kid, you are full of surprises." I laughed and sprinted forward, mud splashing beneath my feet. My blade slammed into Hayden's, causing it to crack in multiple places. I pushed against him and chuckled as he slowly started to be over powered. He realized this and rolled away before I could crush his sword. Ember slammed into the ground, creating a small shock wave. White flames erupted from the tip of the blade and spread across the ground, evaporating small puddles instantly.

I was forced to let go of Ember and dodge Hayden's kick which passed right past my face. He spun and sent another kick flying at my face, I tilted my head to the side and redirected his kick away from me. He used his momentum to spin and try to punch me. I caught his fist in my hand and dragged it pass me, as the rest of his body followed I brought up my knee and hit him in the stomach. A small gasp escaped his lips, before he could respond I grabbed his head and slammed it into the floor. A loud crack echoed through the base as his mask impacted the floor. To my surprise it didn't break, but now dawned a nice split right down the middle.

I turned and walked towards my abandoned sword, a dark chuckle escaped my throat. The presence of Dark Jaune was slowly growing in my head, even the feeling of my body was starting to slip away. I had to think of something fast, or I might completely lose control of my own body to this dark presence. I heard three loud gunshots crack through the air followed by an immense amount of impacting my back. I stumbled forward and let out a low groan as I felt my aura suddenly drop. I turned around to see Hayden holding a blue pistol aimed at me, the muzzle had a small amount of smoke drifting into the wind.

I quickly grabbed Ember in a reverse grip and sprinted towards Hayden. he fired a volley of bullets towards me, most of them missing but the few that got close pinged off my sword as I blocked them. Hayden shuffled backward and fired his last few shots at me. A dark smile crept across my face as he started to panic, his feet shuffled backward as I was inches away. I switched Ember into a normal grip and grabbed Hayden's wrist, stopping him from aiming his pistol. My sword skimmed across his leg, most of the damage being blocked by his aura. I dragged his face into my knee, shattering his mask. His blue aura crackled and disappeared as my fist connected with his nose, knocking him back a few inches.

A look of fear was etched across his face as flames encased Ember, slowly growing in size. I leaped forward and stabbed Ember through his stomach like a hot knife through butter. Blood trickled from his mouth as he coughed, some landing on my face. I felt myself smile as the flames from Ember started to slowly spread around his torso, burning away his clothing. His hand slowly reached my shoulder and rested upon it. His one blue eye met my gold ones, I could tell he was fading fast just by his stare. "You, have started down a path... You are not prepared for." He coughed before sliding off of Ember and smacking into the ground. A dark laugh escaped my lips as my head tilted towards the sky. Thunder echoed as rain droplets started to impact the ground and my face. The light from my fires shone upon the dark clouds looming over the night sky.

As I turned to walk away from Hayden's corpse a sharp pain shot through my chest, stopping me in my tracks. I collapsed to my knees as the pain slowly started to grow. I clutched at my chest and gasped for air, my eyes went wide as I felt my aura suddenly drop. I slowly rose to my feet, hoping that what ever was happening to me would soon stop. Multiple howls sounded from out side the walls, most likely the new Grimm arriving to investigate the flaming base. I quickly grabbed Ember and shuffled towards the nearest exit, luckily the Grimm seemed to be taking their sweet time getting into the base.

I huffed and coughed as I stumbled through the dark forest. Screams and roars still echoed from the base, I could still see the faint glow of the white flames raging. Lightning cracked across the sky, lighting up the forest for a split second. I noticed a cave nearby and slowly made my way towards it. Now I was starting to feel the strain of battle, my muscles ached as if they had been torn and then stitched back together. I was able to feel each and every bruise and cut on my body, they seemed to be pulsing, just to make sure I knew they were there.

I gripped at my chest as another sharp pain shot through my heart, this time causing me to nearly fall flat on my face. Blood dripped from my mouth and down my chin, what ever was happening wasn't good. If I didn't find out what it was soon then I could be in even worse trouble. I spun and scanned the forest around me, I pointed Ember towards a tree thinking I saw something. My arm trembled before dropping back down to my side. I blinked a few times as my vision went hazy before clearing up again. I turned and shuffled as fast I could towards the cave, I hoped nothing was in there since I was in no fighting shape.

I dropped Ember to the floor and quickly tore off the rest of my armor. I collapsed to my knees as the next pulse of pain shot through my heart, this one felt as if a blade had been stabbed through my chest and slowly twisted around. I pulled my jacket off and lifted my shirt to see black veins running from where my heart was up to my neck. A drop of blood dripped from my left eye and splashed onto the rocky floor. I wiped my eye to see blood smeared across my arm. I shut my eye and cringed as a dull pain resonated through that eye. I quickly tried to think of a way to fix what ever was happening, but nothing came to mind.

"So, it seems I'm too late." I reached for Ember but was stopped by a heel slamming into my head, I rolled a few feet and let out cry of pain as the same heel slammed into my chest. Crimson eyes peered down at me behind a Grimm mask. A large red blade came down to my neck and hovered over my Adam's apple, I swallowed and stared into the eyes of my attacker. They squinted slightly then moved over towards my blade that laid across the room. The blade moved from my neck followed by the heel on my chest. "Perhaps it isn't too late for you after all." I sat up and eyed my attacker. I quickly realized the person before me was female, if the voice and sizable chest wasn't a big enough indicator.

Her voice took on a more sympathetic tone rather then when she first spoke. The woman sheathed her blade and looked back towards me, her eyes instantly locked with mine. "Open your left eye now." I hesitantly opened my eye, The lady instantly crouched forward and stared into my eye. Two of her gloved fingers traced from my eye and down my neck. She let out a sigh and stood up then pulled out a scroll. She tapped on the screen and walked towards the mouth of the cave. Her black hair swayed back and forth with each step. "If you move, I will kill you." her voice went back to the cold and dark tone as she left out into the rain.

I cringed and held my head as the voice of Dark Jaune spoke out. **"Hm, it seems that I wasn't able to take control fully. Unfortunate, I was looking forward to getting rid of the weak and worthless you."** I groaned as my head pulsed with each word spoken by him, it felt like a hammer slamming into my brain. **"You can't protect anyone with the way you are, just let me take control and no one will die."** I tried to block out his voice but anything I tried seemed to only amplify it. I shook my head and grit my teeth hoping it would have some effect, but like all else, nothing helped. **"You can't escape me Jaune, Hayden was right about starting down a path you aren't ready for, I can guide you."**

I slowly opened my eyes to see the lady walking towards me, scroll next to her ear. "Yes he is still awake. Should I place it on him now? Okay, I will return in the morning." She closed her scroll and set it down along with her sword. Her crimson eyes locked onto my left eye before slowly closing. "Do you know what is happening to you Jaune?" I stared at her in surprise, how could she know my name? "I think I have an idea, but I'm not completely sure." The woman pulled out a small mirror and held it up to my face. My eyes went wide when I saw that my left eye was now identical to Dark Jaune's, black veins ran from the corner of my eye and down my neck. I blinked a few times as she removed the mirror and slid it into her coat.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" I heard her let out a sigh before slowly removing her mask and setting it down on the ground. Her face was serious and held the look of someone who had seen a lot, but it also reminded me of a certain blonde brawler back at beacon. "My name is Raven, Ozpin sent me to get you out before you did anything too rash. But it seems I was too late." She slowly pulled the long glove off of her right hand and faced me. "You don't have a lot of time, Ozpin will explain everything tomorrow when we head back. Right now I need you to lift up your shirt."

I quickly lifted up my shirt and watched as her uncovered hand glowed a deep red. Said hand hovered over my heart, her eyes locked with mine again. "This might hurt a little." Before I could respond I felt her soft hand rest upon my chest, followed by a surge of pain that flowed through my body. I grit my teeth and tried to keep myself from passing out, but the pain was too much. I felt Raven catch me as I fell to the ground, the last thing I heard was her soft voice telling me that I was going to be okay.

 **Chapter end**

Hey everyone, took me a while to write this, school has been kicking my ass in terms of work. And unfortunately it seems it will be like this for a while, updates will take longer, but will come out eventually! This chapter was a little shorter than the others mainly because I just wanted to get a new chapter out. I have had ideas for other stories I might start, so check my account every once and a while to see! The discontinued story was my friends who used this account before me.

The next time I update this story, I most likely will have started another story, so I will inform you guys of that. Right now it is a close call between two completely separate AU's, but one is currently winning for my interests. But if you guys only want Arkos then stay here because the other stories will still be Jaune as the main character, but different pairings.

Leave a review on your thoughts, opinions, or if you just want to talk!

Yukas, out


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! Wow it has been forever since I have updated this story, and I am super sorry! School and just being lazy stopped me from finishing this chapter, but I hope it came out okay! I hope! The end was fun to write, and the next few will be as well! I actually have the planned out so they should go smoothly.**

 **Also, I published my new story! Please go check it out, I will be writing it along side this one if it is successful. just like this one if it doesn't get a lot of attention within the first three chapters I probably stop it, or if I don't get a lot of feed back because I love hearing everyone's thoughts, even if its just a handful of people. But I can always rely on that one guy who gives me very detailed responses which I absolutely love. Anyway I don't know if I should put in the Pyrrha and Jaune fight now or later on in the story. And by fight I mean like swords and stuff, not verbal fighting. I can't do that to Arkos man ;-; But who is hype for Volume 4!?**

 **There will be a AN at the bottom discussing future events, so make sure to check that out.**

 **Chapter 12: The return**

 **Ozpin's office: Night before**

Ozpin stared at his scroll, watching the events at the white fang base unfold. His face slowly turning into a scowl as he watched Jaune tear through the white fang base with ease. Not only had he gotten over the wall, but managed to distract nearly the entire base by releasing the locks on the gates, letting the Grimm flood in. He had to admit, it was a perfect plan. The heaviest armor and forces were too focused on keeping the Grimm outside occupied, not thinking about other people sneaking in the back door.

Brown eyes focused intently on Jaune as white flames started to erupt around the base, burning everything in sight. Ozpin let out a sigh and closed his eyes, he hoped that it would not come to this. On the bright side Jaune had unlocked more of his semblance, but it seemed that he was starting to give in to the dark side of it. The sound of heels filled his ears as Glynda walked up to his left side, holding her own scroll with the video feed open. He felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder, a familiar feeling of comfort. One he definitely needed.

"Ozpin, this is starting to get out of hand. We should have Raven intervene." Ozpin slowly opened his eyes to watch the video play out, hoping that Jaune would have changed back to normal magically. To his misfortune, it seemed the influence of his semblance had grown during the small time he had his eyes closed. He sighed and closed his eyes again, rubbing his temples with one hand. "Tell Raven to get him safe, and send her the details on the aura seal. I hope we don't need it, but give it to her regardless." The soft hand left his shoulder as Glynda started to type to type on her scroll. A few seconds later she closed it and sighed, the atmosphere of the room growing into one of stress. "It is done, I hope she can reach him before its too late."

Ozpin nodded and reached for his mug, hoping that it would release some of his stress that had been building for the last few hours. As the warm coffee spilled down his throat he felt no relief. His mug settled down onto the table with a soft clink. "I hope so too Glynda, I hope so too..."

 **Hours later**

A cold breeze brushed across my bare chest as I stared up at the ceiling of the cave. The events of the day before played in my mind, it had some how gone differently then I had imagined. At first, I thought that I would have been able to get to the white fang base easily, then the whole cavern thing happened, which had helped me in some way, but then also introduced a new problem. I slowly turned my head to my right to see Ember sticking out of the hard floor. The light from outside reflecting off of the hilt, casting a hexagon shape to glow on the wall. I noticed that my left eye was back to normal, and in fact wasn't hurting or bleeding any more. That was a huge relief, what ever that mysterious woman did helped.

Speaking of her, I glanced around the cave to notice the cave was empty, except for a smothered fire and my bloodied clothes lying on a nearby rock. With a grunt I sat up, a jolt of pain shooting through my chest causing me to halt my ascent. I grit my teeth and continued to sit up, even if the pain was immense. After a few slow, agonizing seconds I was able to sit up fully, the aches of my muscles now present since I had finally used them. I glanced down to my chest to see different bruises across my torso, my aura most likely healing all of the major cuts and breaks while I was unconscious. I noticed a scar above my heart that looked like a small cog, followed by smaller vein like scars running up my neck. Beyond that I couldn't tell, I couldn't feel them either as I rubbed my fingers over them which surprising.

The sound of rushing wind filled my ears as something appeared behind me out of the blue. I spun on my heel and reached for Ember, but before my fingers could reach the hilt a gloved hand grabbed my wrist, followed by a large red blade resting a centimeter from my Adam's apple. My eyes flicked to the right just in time to see a red portal close as well as a slightly intimidating white mask slowly inch towards my face. Suddenly the grip on my wrist loosened followed by the red blade leaving my throat and sliding into a matching black sheathe. I rubbed my wrist as my eyes met the mysterious ladies red orbs, they seemed cold and focused, void of any emotion. She reached up to her face and pulled the mask away, setting it down on a nearby stone with her sword.

"Thanks for nearly killing me." I glanced to a duffel bag on the floor, a few feet away from where her portal was. My eyes flicked back to her as she sat down facing away from me and towards the entrance of the cave. "There are fresh clothes in the bag for you, hurry and change so we can be on our way." Her voice came out stale and stern, almost robotic and just like her eyes, void of emotion. I decided against arguing and quickly dressed myself in the new clothing, luckily it was similar to what I had on before, jeans, a T-shirt, and a black jacket.

After switching into the new clothing, I walked towards Ember and pulled it from the stone, checking for any chips or breaks. Luckily it was still perfect, minus the dried blood and dirt. "If you try anything against me, I will not hesitate to kill you." I slowly looked to her and shook my head, like I would try anything, I knew she could kill me in a blink of an eye. "Why are listening to me any way? I have never seen you before until last night after you did, what ever you did." Her head turned slightly, most likely thinking on how to react. Instead of speaking she stood up and pulled her sword from its sheathe, swinging it in one wide arc creating a red and black portal out of thin air.

She sheathed her sword and grabbed her mask before nodding towards the portal with a stern expression. I glared back for a second before walking towards it, a cold sensation washing over me as I walked through it. My vision blurred and twisted, the feeling in my limbs going numb before Ozpin's office came into view. I stumbled forward upon feeling my legs suddenly start working again after the transition from the cave all the way to Beacon. The woman came through a few seconds later, soon after the red portal closed revealing Ozpin and Goodwitch behind the large wooden desk. A small grin present on his face.

"Welcome back Jaune, I hope Raven wasn't too harsh on you." I looked to the red themed woman to see her keep a blank expression as she stared at Ozpin. "I did what you instructed, making sure to keep his semblance under control." My eyes flicked between the two older hunter's a silent battle raging between them as their eyes remained locked. Goodwitch apparently decided enough was enough and coughed into her hand before tapping Ozpin's shoulder. He immediately looked away from her and towards me. "There is no need to be so stiff here Raven, this boy is no longer a threat as long as that seal is placed on him." Raven's gaze lingered on him for a little while longer before her crimson eyes looked to me.

"He was close to loosing control by the time I found him, but I was able to stop it in time. Hopefully your seal will keep him in check." I flinched at her words, even if I had little to no idea about what they were talking about. Obviously it involved my semblance, and the thing on my chest probably connected to the dark Jaune in my mind, actually I hadn't even felt his presence since last night. Huh, guess I did kind of understand them..

"-kay Jaune?" I blinked and glanced around the room, apparently I had missed what ever they were talking about while in my thoughts. "Sorry, what did you say?" Raven brought a hand to her face and mumbled something about useless huntsman, she quickly brought her hand down and looked over to a very annoyed Goodwitch who was, to my fortune, was looking at her. "I said how are you feeling? Anything feel out of place?" I bit my lip and shrugged, now that I thought about it nothing felt different, besides a soreness where the brand was. "Nothing really, just a little sore."

Ozpin hummed and looked to a nearby scroll before standing up and walking towards the large window looking over Vale. I glanced down to my hand and realized I was still holding Ember loosely, I sheathed it and reached for my shield only for my fingers to meet thin air. I quickly realized that it was broken in the battle with Hayden, which was kind of bad since I relied on such object. I also don't know any smiths in the area so it seemed I would be stuck with out one. "I won't waste your time with a report, I'm sure I will see the extents of your battle in the coming days, but what I do want is for you to be prepared for what is to come. That attack on the white fang's base will not go unnoticed, so I want you to practice with Raven for the time being."

A pregnant pause filled the room before Raven suddenly gasped, the information just reaching her brain. "No, I am not staying here to train him, I have much more important things to do." She quickly glanced to me before looking back to Ozpin, who was still looking out the window not moving a muscle. His head slowly turned, a single brown eye coming into view. "This is not a discussion Raven, you will train him to help fight the fang, you can still help him while continuing your projects, I'm not telling you to watch over him 24/7." I watched her hands flex as they once again stared into each others eyes. Eventually she gave in and let out a sigh before looking to the ground. "What do I have to teach him?" Ozpin smiled and walked to his desk and sat down, resting his cane against the wood.

"All I ask is that you perfect his fighting abilities, make sure he can survive." She sighed again and glanced towards me, her gaze softening slightly before switching back to being stern. "Fine, but I will not hold back because he is just a student." My eyes widened slightly as I looked to Ozpin to see him smile and nod. "But I don't have a shield any more, I don't think I can fight with just a sword.." Ozpin grabbed his scroll and typed in a buttons before setting it down back onto the desk with a content smile. "You will in a few days, once the metal comes in, you can design it in your own way, there actually is a black smith here at Beacon." I blinked a few times before sighing. How am I not surprised, this place has everything.

"The students are still in class, but I will excuse you from classes until after the dance, which is this Friday, so you have two days to prepare, that is of course if you are going." I only shrugged in response, I had completely forgotten about it actually, with the events that had happened in the last few days, I wasn't too surprised. Raven turned and walked towards the elevators, her crimson eyes flicking towards me before back towards the metal doors. She tapped the button and turned back towards us, a stern expression still on her face. "No one should know of my being here Ozpin, you know that it must be kept a secret. The same goes for you Jaune." She glared at me before looking towards Ozpin. I swallowed hard and shifted my gaze towards the older man hoping to find out some information on why it should be secret.

A sigh escaped my lips as I saw Ozpin smile and nod without a single word. The elevator dinged behind me, followed by the scratching of the doors sliding apart. I sluggishly walked back to the elevator and stepped in next to Raven who was staring directly ahead, her stern expression making me slightly nervous. The doors slid closed without a sound, and as soon as they closed a gloved finger was pointing in my face. I stared at the finger for a moment before looking to the red eyes boring into me. "Listen Jaune, I don't have anything personal against you, but that doesn't mean I won't go hard on you. To survive out in the world, you need to be strong and control your emotions. I saw your fight with Hayden, and you let your feelings control you. You won't let that happen anymore, right?"

I quickly nodded and looked back towards the elevator doors, hoping the growing fear would subside. Before the elevator could reach the ground floor, I felt my limbs go tingly again as red enveloped my vision before white tile came into view. I stumbled forward and spun around quickly to see a red blade come flying towards my throat. My eyes went wide as I dodged the blade and rolled to the side, back peddling to get some distance from Raven. This time I felt the cold gaze fall upon me as she lowered her extended arm and brought it back down to her side. "Good, your reflexes seem to be in order. I know you have been through a lot in the last few hours, but Ozpin is forcing me to do this. I'm sure your aura hasn't fully replenished, but you shouldn't need it after we are done." I nodded and quickly glanced around the room to see that we were now in one of the sparring rooms, an older one it seemed since the tile around me was cracked and chipped.

After looking around the room I settled into a combat stance and slowly drew Ember from its sheathe and placed it in front of me. Raven slid her sword back into its sheathe and inspected my stance with a neutral gaze. After a few moments of silence she shifted her stance and hovered her hand over the hilt of her weapon. "Your stance is good, but not perfect." She quickly closed the distance between us and swiped her leg at my feet, I leaped backwards, narrowly avoid the black heel. Before I could celebrate how ever, she drew her sword and went for a horizontal slash. I blocked with Ember, but I struggled to keep it in place as the red blade dragged across mine. I felt vulnerable without my shield, which was probably what Raven was trying to prove.

I rolled to the side as she swung down in a vertical slice. I quickly gained my footing back and slashed at her, I saw her smirk before she spun on one foot and kicked the back of my knee. As I collapsed I felt the flat of her blade strike my wrist, causing me to drop my blade to the floor. Her other heel came up and slammed into my forehead, launching me back with a loud crack. I tumbled across the tile and slid to a stop. Heels clacked across the floor as Raven walked over to me, Ember in her hand. I opened one eye to look up at her, a small smirk on her lips. "You lasted longer than most people fighting me, then again, you aren't most people." She dropped Ember to the floor and took a few steps away waiting for me to stand up again.

I slowly wrapped my fingers around Embers hilt and stood up to full height. I felt slightly nervous as Raven watched me, her smirk gone. Replaced by a small frown. "Jaune, why are you not using your Semblance?" I stared at her for a moment before also realizing I hadn't activated my Instinct, for what ever reason. "I don't really know actually, I hadn't thought about it all morning, maybe because I was subconsciously scared of doing it after last nights events.." I glanced to the floor, slowly rolling my shoulders to relieve some of the tension building. I heard Raven's heals scrape across the floor then stop, making me tense up slightly.

"Activate it Jaune, I want to test it out myself." I watched as she fiddled with her sheathe, pressing on the dust cylinder as it changed positions. With a sigh I closed my eyes and focused what little aura I had left into my semblance, expecting something noticeable to happen. But as I opened my eyes, I started to feel the effects of Instinct, nothing out of the ordinary. Which I wasn't complaining, better to not have to deal with my dark thoughts while fighting a strong opponent, or rather not deal with them at all. I saw Raven staring at me with interest, her eyes locked with mine as I studied her figure. Her aura gave off a red hue around her body, other than that nothing seemed different then when I had used it before. I nodded before getting into my stance again, leveling out my arm, remembering that I no longer had a shield to protect my left side.

Her heel scrapped across the tile before she sprinted towards me, much faster than before. Her sword came flying out of its sheathe at an unbelievable speed. Well, unbelievable for any other person. I tilted my body to the side and watched as the sword whizzed past me in slow motion, a small grin growing across my face as I spun away from her. I noticed she looked confused for a moment before hardening her gaze and rushing towards me once more. The red blade came at me from all angles, she was very skilled with such a long blade. But that wasn't too surprising, she was a full blown huntress after all. With a small sigh I twisted my sword and blocked one of her strikes, locking us in place. I pushed against her, slightly surprised when she started to get pushed back. My confidence was quickly crushed when the world started to spin as I plummeted towards the tile.

My back crashed against the floor with a muffled thud. My head spun still, but I was forced to refocus my gaze as I saw a blurry red object come flying towards my head. Said object pierced the tile where my head used to be moments ago, small chunks of tile flying out from the impact point. I slowly got to my feet, a wave of drowsiness washing over me as I stood. Knowing that I would most likely not win this match, at least with the amount of aura I had, I quickly decided to at least get one hit off on the indestructible woman standing in front of me. I gripped Ember tight and rushed forward, staying low to the ground just in case I needed to dodge. Our blade crashed into each other, small sparks flying out into the air before disappearing. With each strike against her blade I started to feel the drowsiness more and more, almost to the point of passing out.

It seemed that she noticed too since her attacks started to become stronger and more coordinated, probably trying to put me out of my misery. But in my daze I did start to notice a pattern in her strikes. I smirked before switching Ember into my left hand in a reverse grip, the blocking her next strike. Her eyes went wide slightly as my right fist came barreling towards her unprotected face. But just as my fist was going to hit her, a iron hard object struck my stomach, causing me to double over as the sound of the hit echoed throughout the room. All the air in my lungs left at once as my aura cracked and shattered, my semblance deactivating at the same time. I slid to my knees and placed one hand on the ground to hold my torso off the floor. With a quick glance I realized that the object that struck me was Ravens knee, which probably left a bruise at how hard she hit me.

I watched as she slid her sword into its sheathe and knelled down beside me, a single gloved hand resting on my shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. "Sorry about hitting you so hard, you surprised me with that attack. My reflexes took over." I tried to say something but the only thing that came out was a hoarse groan. She patted my shoulder before standing up and looking down to her scroll. "We will leave of here for today, you should get some rest since you just lost the last bit of aura you had left." I glared at her, trying to look as mad as I could muster. She only shrugged and snapped her fingers, a red portal appearing soon after. "I will contact you soon, but the next time we practice will most likely be after the dance. So as I said before, get some rest and relax. You will need it."

I watched as she walked through her portal and disappeared, the portal closing with a final whoosh before leaving me alone in the room. With a final sigh I lazily wrapped my fingers around Ember and slid it into its sheathe, then stood up, holding my stomach as it ached from not having any aura to heal the growing bruise.

I jumped slightly as the doors to the training room busted open, each metal door slamming against the walls with enough force to nearly crack them. That's when my eyes met the emerald green of a very angry looking red head. Pyrrha's boots clacked against the tile as she nearly stomped toward me, her face twisted into a deep from. As she drew closer I realized her fists were clenched and her beautiful red eyebrows were knitted into a angry expression. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to hit me, but instead I felt something slam into me, but not in a painful way. I opened my eyes to see a red pony tail in front of my face, as well as the feeling of my jacket slowly becoming damp. I tilted my head slightly to see Pyrrha's head pushed into my shoulder as well as her arms wrapped tightly around my back, pulling me into her.

After a moments hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her back as well, resting my cheek on her head as she continued to cry into my shoulder, he sobs becoming slightly louder as her arms tightened around my midsection. After a few minutes her crying stopped as she pulled away slowly, her arms falling to her sides. Our eyes locked, her beautiful green orbs reddened slightly from her tears. It was a state that I thought I would never see her in. "I-I thought you had died... and I thought I would never see you again." Her head lowered slightly as another tear dropped from her nose onto the tile. I quickly pulled her into another hug, pulling her close as another wave of tears flooded from the invincible girl. I swallowed hard and tilted her head towards mine, a small smile gracing my lips. "I would never leave you, much rather die because I know you would have brought me back just to kill me yourself."

My smile grew as she started to laugh, covering her mouth with her hand and closing her eyes as she giggled. "Yeah, I probably would." I started to laugh with her, a large smile on her face as the tears stopped flowing. After our laughing fit, she wiped her eyes with her hand and became serious once more, our eyes locking as the atmosphere of the room dropped from happy once again. Her voice was soft, but caring. I also realized that as I stared into her eyes, I was able to read her emotions. The most I saw was worry, but another emotion was tucked away behind it, but it was so well hidden I couldn't even tell. "Jaune, promise me I won't lose you. Not again." I smiled and placed my forehead against hers, our noses centimeters from each other. "I promise you won't lose me, not now. Not ever." She smiled and hugged me again much tighter than before.

As she pulled away I wanted to grab her and pull her back, something in my heart had sparked to life, a small flame that had been extinguished for years. But now wasn't the time, I pushed the feeling down for now, until I could think straight and not off of instinct. Her bright smile cheered me up instantly as I started to head towards the exit, the spartan right next to me. "Team RWBY wanted to see you, as well as the rest of my team. Yang was very adamant about talking to you for some reason, but she wouldn't say why, but her and Ruby are stuck in Vale with Professor Oobleck on some delivery mission, so you'll have to wait." I nodded and happily sighed as we walked through the halls of Beacon once more. Even though I was gone for a few days, it had felt like years.

Perhaps... life at Beacon was different from out on the trail. Here I could trust people... And finally have friends.

 **Chapter end.**

 **Once again, sorry for the huuuuuuuge delay! Most was school, but the rest was just me not wanting to write. Like I had the ideas and everyhting but I just couldn't do it! Don't worry, next chapter I have all planned out and it should be up in the next two weeks. Please please please review and tell me your thoughts! Even if its just to send me angry messages of how it took so long to type this, I just want to hear something from you all!**

 **On another note, go check out my new story! I think its a pretty cool premise, so please give me ya feed back on that if you check it out!**

 **Till next time, Yukas out.**


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